Headliners Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks have a score to settle at ONE 171: Qatar
The last time Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks were in Qatar, the night didn't go to plan for either man.
Brooks, at the time, was the ONE Strawweight MMA world champion but a mistimed slam inside the first two minutes of their clash resulted in a disqualification, a stripped title – and Pacio having to be helped from the cage.
It wasn't the way the Filipino wanted to reclaim his title, but now the pair get the chance to do it all again at ONE 171: Qatar.
While Pacio was fortunate to escape serious injury after being spiked on the top of his head by Brooks, it has been a troublesome knee injury that has kept him out of competition – and this week's bout will be his first since that day in March last year.
On the flip side, American Brooks has kept himself busy. A first round submission of Gustavo Balart handed him the interim strawweight title in Pacio's absence. Then in December he decided to make a temporary move to flyweight to take on Reece McLaren. A split-decision loss over five rounds was not the result Brooks wanted, but he certainly came out of it with no credibility damage.
Now at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar, the two will meet for a third time – to finally unify the strawweight class.
Pacio has made the walk to the cage 17 times in ONE Championship since debuting in 2016, and is a three-time strawweight champion. Every time he has suffered adversity in his career, the 29-year-old has always returned stronger, and while he's not coming off a loss – almost a year out of action through injury will always leave some question marks.
For Brooks this is a day of redemption, for a title lost on a technicality, and the opportunity for him to reclaim what he believes to be rightfully his.
A clash of styles, and a clash of personalities – this is the blockbuster main event the Qatar fans have been waiting for.
You can watch ONE 171: Qatar, which takes place on Thursday February 20th at 5pm Mecca at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar. For ticket information, click here. Alternatively, you can watch the event live on BeIn Sports or at watch.onefc.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
15 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Maria uses Keys to open Queen's final door; Zverev sets up title showdown with Fritz
German veteran Tatjana Maria defied the odds to move into the biggest final of her career when she stunned second seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-3 7-6(3) at the Queen's Club Championships on Saturday. The unseeded Maria came into the tournament carrying the burden of nine straight losses with many wondering if the 37-year-old mother of two was a spent force. But she put those doubts to bed on the lush green surface at the Andy Murray Arena, where she has now knocked out two Grand Slam champions in back-to-back matches. Having upset former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals, Maria will now play Amanda Anisimova for the trophy after the American beat top seed and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. 'Oh my God, to be honest, I cannot believe it. It's a dream come true. It's amazing to play here in front of you all, it's such a special place. I could not wish a better tournament to be in the final and I'm so, so proud,' a smiling Maria said. 'You never can stop, doesn't matter how it goes. I think I'm a really good example for this. I had my ups and downs, but you always have to keep going. 'I love to play tennis. I love this sport and we live for these special moments. That's why it's amazing... To be here with my family, my team. It makes it so special that they are here and watching me. We live this dream together.' Keys unleashed raw power, hammering 41 winners to Maria's modest 11. But the German countered with crafty low slices that skidded treacherously off the grass, forcing the American second seed into 37 unforced errors while committing just six herself. The only time Maria really struggled was when Keys approached the net, where the American won several points, especially on serve. However, that ultimately proved to be Keys's undoing on match point when she sprinted up to the net, only for Maria to loft a perfectly weighted lob into an empty court to move into just her second grasscourt final of her career. On the other side of the net will be eighth seed Anisimova, who moved into her first grasscourt final after a roller-coaster 6-2 4-6 6-4 victory over Zheng, who had beaten her twice last year. Both players struggled with serve in windy conditions in a match that had a combined 16 double faults and 12 breaks of serve, but it was Anisimova who eventually triumphed over her Chinese opponent for the first time in her career. 'I've never gotten the win over her, every time we've played we've had some really tough battles and I think I was just really relieved at the end there,' Anisimova said. 'The conditions were very tricky so I'm sure we struggled a little bit from that, but we still managed to play some really good tennis. So I'm really happy.' (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra) Tennis: STUTTGART, Germany, June 14 (Reuters) - German top seed Alexander Zverev took out American third seed Ben Shelton with a 7-6(8) 7-6(1) victory in the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open on Saturday to set up a showdown with Taylor Fritz. Zverev and Shelton tested each other in a high-quality encounter before the world number three played a near flawless tiebreak to clinch the match in little over two hours and stretch his career win-loss record over the American to 3-0. The 28-year-old banged down 15 aces, 35 winners and did not face a break point in front of his home crowd to reach his first grasscourt final in eight years. 'I'm super happy to be in the final, it's my first grasscourt final since 2017,' Zverev said. 'It's been eight years. I actually really like playing on the surface. I'm happy to be in the final in Germany again, I'm looking forward to it.' Despite the defeat, Shelton will take plenty of positives from the ATP 250 event, with the 22-year-old set to make his top 10 debut in the ATP rankings on Monday. In the first semi-final, Fritz, ranked seventh in the world, sent down 10 aces and 23 winners, winning 86% of his first-serve points to knock out Canadian fourth seed Felix Auger Aliassime 6-4 7-6(5). Agencies
Sharjah 24
a day ago
- Sharjah 24
Inter Miami loses star Alba for Club World Cup opening match
Absence of key players The American club will be without their Spanish defender Jordi Alba for the match, as confirmed by their Argentine coach, Javier Mascherano. Alba joins Italian midfielder Yannick Braithwaite, who will also be unavailable for Sunday's match in Miami, part of the first round of the newly expanded Club World Cup featuring 32 teams. Coach's statement Mascherano stated, "Jordi and Yannick will not be available for this match, but I hope they will be ready for the second match," which is set to feature Argentine star Lionel Messi against Portuguese side Porto next Thursday in Atlanta, followed by the final group stage match against Brazilian team Palmeiras in Miami. Impact of Alba's absence Alba's absence, due to a muscle issue in his leg, is a significant blow for Inter Miami, not only because of his defensive skills but also due to his contributions in attack and his ability to assist former Barcelona teammates Messi and Uruguayan Luis Suárez.
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Gulf Today
Rybakina dumped out of Queen's Club by qualifier Maria; Zverev sets up Stuttgart semis with Shelton
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was dumped out of the Queen's Club Championships on Friday by qualifier Tatjana Maria, who set up a semi-final against Australian Open champion Madison Keys. German mother of two Maria regrouped after failing to serve for the match to complete a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win. A single break in the first set put the 37-year-old Maria in charge and she maintained her grip, breaking twice to lead 5-3 in the second. But Kazakh fourth seed Rybakina, Wimbledon champion in 2022, upped her game to level at 5-5 and the set went to a tie-break. The players were locked at 4-4 before Maria, ranked 86th in the world, won the last three points, sealing victory with an ace in one hour and 45 minutes. Maria, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022, was forced to qualify for the grasscourt tournament in London. 'It means so much to me,' she said. 'It's like a perfect example to never give up and to always keep going, doesn't matter what. 'I'm still here and living this dream. I have my family with me and amazing team.' She added: 'I'm super, super proud to be here in the semi-final and I hope in a few years you will see my daughter (aged 11) at the same stage here.' Earlier, US second seed Keys came from a set down to beat Russian fifth seed Diana Shnaider 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Zverev beats Nakashima: Top seed and home favourite Alexander Zverev beat Brandon Nakashima 7-5 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open on Friday while Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton also reached the last four. Zverev is seeking his first grasscourt title and he was involved in a tight opening set which was tied at 5-5 when the German switched gears in the final two games to clinch it. But Zverev was far more dominant against his American opponent in the second set as he finished the match with 31 winners in a contest that lasted 90 minutes. 'I'm in the semi-finals now and now I really want to focus on trying to do the best I can,' Zverev said. 'I know the opponents are going to get tougher but I'm really happy on the court right now I'm really happy in Stuttgart and I'm looking forward to the next two days.' Zverev will play third seed Shelton next after the American, who was virtually unstoppable on his first serve, beat Jiri Lehecka 6-4 6-4, firing 18 aces. Shelton was so dominant in the second set that he did not lose a single point on serve while he won 100% of his first-serve points in the match, with victory ensuring he will break into the top 10 for the first time in his career. Marton Fucsovics had beaten Fritz in straight sets in Stuttgart two years ago but this time the American, who has yet to drop a set at the tournament, came out on top in a dominant 6-3 6-4 victory. Although Fritz was involved in some long baseline rallies, he relied on his serve, sending 12 aces past the Hungarian to set up a semi-final clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat the 17-year-old German Justin Engel 7-6(3) 6-3. Engel had claimed his first professional victory on grass earlier this week when he beat James Duckworth, following it up with an upset win over seventh seed Alex Michelsen, but beating Auger-Aliassime proved to be a step too far for the teenager. 'His serve was so incredibly good today that I felt pressure in my own service games,' Engel said. 'But it was great fun playing in front of this crowd again. I can't wait to play here again next year.' Agencies
