ONE Championship: Malykhin completes title hat-trick, China’s Tang downs Le, Brooks DQ hands Pacio belt
- Tang Kai returns to ring for first time since 2022 and successfully defends featherweight crown
- Malykhin takes second belt from de Ridder to become three division champion in Qatar clash
ONE Championship got everything it could have asked for in Qatar on Friday, from scintillating knock outs, to historic wins and controversial finishes.
The promotion’s trip to the Middle East for ONE 166 will keep fight fans talking for days, and the co-main events more than delivered on all that had been promised.
China’s Tang Kai has not fought since 2022, but he took down Thanh Le to defend his featherweight title in one of three fights where a belt was at stake.
Russia’s Anatoly Malykhin, meanwhile, is well on his way to becoming the dominant force in ONE. He now holds belts in three divisions, adding Reinier de Ridder’s middleweight title to the heavyweight and light-heavvweight ones he already owned.
There were two disqualifications as well. One for Jarred Brooks, who lost his strawweight crown in the process, and another that spared Arjan Bhullar any further damage at the hands of Amir Aliakbari.
Tang’s battle with Le might have ended in dramatic fashion, but it started slowly with both men yellow carded during the opening round. Le was fighting as a southpaw and the change in tactic seemed to initially confuse his Chinese opponent.