3 Fights That Could Steal The Show At ONE 171: Qatar On February 20
This Thursday, February 20, the world’s largest martial arts organization will return to Qatar and the picturesque Lusail Sports Arena for a massive card featuring many of the planet’s most entertaining fighters.
ONE 171: Qatar is headlined by two high-stakes World Title fights, but the rest of the event is loaded with intriguing matchups designed to deliver fireworks.
Every battle on the supporting card has the potential to leave a lasting impression on fans watching around the world.
With that in mind, we’ve picked out three fights that could ultimately steal the show at ONE 171: Qatar.
#1 Petchtanong Vs. Ilias Ennahachi
Before reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty defends his gold against Chinese superstar “Demon Blade” Wei Rui in the main event, both Ilias Ennahachi and Petchtanong Petchfergus will aim to emerge as the division’s next World Title challenger.
Both men are former ONE Kickboxing World Champions – and both are renowned for their supreme mastery of the striking arts.
Dutch-Moroccan sensation Ennahachi is a former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion and undefeated in the organization, only losing his belt when he was no longer able to make the flyweight limit while hydrated.
The 28-year-old is a dangerously well-rounded kickboxer with ruthless finishing instincts – and notably, he’s the only man to defeat top pound-for-pound megastar Superlek Kiatmoo9 in ONE.
Thai hero Petchtanong, though, possesses the veteran savvy and deep bag of tricks needed to hand Ennahachi his first promotional defeat.
He is a former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion who is motivated to prove he deserves another crack at the gold.
#2 Dagi Arslanaliev Vs. Roberto Soldic
In welterweight MMA action, Dagestani destroyer Dagi Arslanaliev will move up in weight to battle Croatian brawler Roberto “Robocop” Soldic in a bout that promises white-knuckle action for as long as it lasts.
A veteran of 10 thrilling MMA contests in ONE, Arslanaliev has scored a finish in all of his eight promotional victories and has been a mainstay of the lightweight MMA division’s upper echelon for nearly a decade.
His ultra-aggressive style will now collide with a similar type of fighter at ONE 171: Qatar.
The 30-year-old Soldic arrived at ONE with loads of hype and lofty expectations after making a name for himself on the European MMA scene as one of the sport’s most vicious knockout artists.
But after two appearances in ONE, “Robocop” has yet to emerge victorious, and he’ll be fighting with his back against the wall this week.
Given each athlete’s propensity for devastating offense, fans can expect a firefight.
#3 Jake Peacock Vs. Shinji Suzuki
Jake “The One” Peacock looks to continue his rise on the global stage when he takes on dangerous Japanese striker Shinji Suzuki in a bantamweight Muay Thai clash.
Born with no right forearm, Canadian-British phenom Peacock is one of the planet’s most inspirational athletes – but he’s also an elite Muay Thai fighter with legitimate World Title potential.
He turned in a dazzling and dominant performance in his promotional debut last April, and he’ll look to keep the ball rolling and hunt for the knockout in Qatar.
Standing across from him will be a difficult puzzle to solve in Suzuki.
At 39 years old, the Japanese veteran still appears to be in top form and will enter the bout following a fast-paced decision victory over former ONE World Title challenger Han Zi Hao.
Both fighters are high-volume, all-action strikers who are never afraid to trade shots at a torrid pace, setting the stage for a frantic battle.
