Nguyen vs. Gasanov, Fernandes vs. Belingon, Soldic vs. Arslanaliev Confirmed For ONE 171: Qatar

Posted by Admin December 15, 2024 World

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On February 20, ONE Championship will return to the beautiful Lusail Sports Arena with ONE 171: Qatar, and a trio of must-watch MMA bouts have been added to the blockbuster event.

In addition to the previously announced World Title fights, the lineup will see top-five featherweight MMA contenders Shamil Gasanov and Martin Nguyen throw down, the final meeting between former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champions Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon, and the ONE welterweight debut of former lightweight contender Dagi Arslanaliev against Croatian star Roberto Soldic.

The 29-year-old Gasanov enjoyed a sensational year of competition in 2024, racking up three straight wins to establish himself as the #3-ranked featherweight MMA contender.

With his Dagestani-bred wrestling, relentless pacing, and top-flight submission game, the Russian destroyer has all the makings of a future ONE World Champion, and he could punch his ticket to a shot at gold with a victory over Nguyen.

“The Situ-Asian” is no pushover, though. The Vietnamese-Australian veteran is a former two-division titleholder and one of the organization’s most prolific finishers, renowned for his crisp boxing game and show-stopping power.

As the division’s #4-ranked contender, Nguyen knows that a victory over Gasanov will be critical to keeping his World Title aspirations alive.

The clash between Fernandes and Belingon will officially mark the final fight of “The Flash’s” lengthy and decorated career.

A former 11-time ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion with 15 thrilling appearances in the world’s largest martial arts organization, the Brazilian is one of the most respected veterans in the game today, having employed his elite ground skills to establish himself as an all-time great.

He’ll face a very familiar foe in his send-off fight. Belingon and Fernandes have clashed four times before, with “The Flash” holding a 3-1 advantage.

Belingon is also an established ONE superstar with loads of experience at the highest level of MMA.

Back in 2018, the Filipino won the ONE Interim Bantamweight MMA World Title with an impressive victory over Nguyen and would subsequently defeat Fernandes in his next fight to unify the gold.

Both men are undoubtedly hungry to put their stamp on this years-long rivalry – and fans can look forward to an all-out war for as long as it lasts.

The welterweight MMA showdown between Arslanaliev and Soldic also promises fireworks.

In one corner, the 30-year-old Arslanaliev has been a longtime mainstay of the lightweight MMA division’s upper echelon, using his powerful takedowns and savage ground-and-pound to rack up eight highlight-reel finishes in ONE.

If he can get past Soldic at ONE 171, the former ONE Lightweight MMA World Grand Prix finalist could put himself in line for a shot at reigning welterweight titleholder Christian “The Warrior” Lee.

However, “Robocop” has other plans.

The highly touted Croatian knockout artist arrived at ONE with lofty expectations, but after a disappointing no contest and a loss in his first two promotional appearances, he’s determined to prove that the hype was justified.

While Soldic is certainly a talented grappler and all-around mixed martial artist, he does his best work when he’s throwing heavy leather and hunting for the finish on the feet.

That all-action, brawling style should make for an explosive clash against Arslanaliev’s veteran fight IQ and proven finishing instincts.

Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news and announcements about ONE 171: Qatar on February 20.