Latest news with #ONE171
South China Morning Post
21-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
ONE Championship: Chinese fighter Wei loses on points in Haggerty title fight
Wei Rui came up short in his bantamweight kickboxing title fight against Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 171 at Lusail Arena, Qatar on Thursday. Haggerty came into the fight off a devastating knockout loss at the hands of Superlek Kiatmoo9 last year, which saw him relinquish the belt – and the Englishman produced a slow start, which he attributed afterwards to a dent in his self confidence. Wei fired off quick combinations of punches and elbows to kick off the bout and looked set to hand Haggerty his second consecutive loss. But was nothing more than a highlight for Wei, who was second best for the remainder of the fight. Haggerty made a much more confident start to the second round and landed a glancing head kick before scoring with some step-in knees. In the third, Haggerty began landing with his trademark right hand, snapping back the head of the Chinese southpaw. Wei attempted to pick up the pace in the fourth with punches to the head and kicks to the Englishman's body and legs, but ate another right hand. Joshua Pacio (left) overcame Jarred Brooks in their strawweight MMA title fight at ONE 171. Photo: strawweight MMA Haggerty landed a teep to his opponent's face followed by another to the midsection which put the Chinese fighter on his backside in the final seconds of the fourth round. It left Wei looking for a knockdown in the final round, which never looked likely and Haggerty was handed a unanimous decision win.
USA Today
20-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ONE 171 video: Roberto Soldic sends unconscious opponent airborne with brutal knockout
It was nearly two years between fights for Roberto Soldic when he stepped into the ONE 171 cage Thursday. His return didn't even last two minutes. In what was one of 2025's most violent MMA sequences, Soldic (21-4) blasted opponent Dagi Arslanaliev airborne with a big left hand. Arslanaliev (9-3) slammed unconsciously to the canvas face-first where he was met with big follow-up punches. The stoppage came at 1:55 of Round 1. Soldic, 30, had not competed since May 2023. He is a former KSW double c champion and remains the only man to hold a knockout win over current UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. The victory Thursday was his first under the ONE banner since he signed with the promotion in 2022. A coveted free agent acquisition, Soldic was unable to pocket wins in either of his first two appearances. His debut ended in a groin strike no contest and he was knocked out by underdog Zebaztian Kadestam in his second promotional apperance. Prior to the fight, Soldic told MMA Junkie that he felt he reinvented himself during his time away from competition and hoped to remain more active moving forward.
South China Morning Post
20-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
China's Wei Rui vows to give Jonathan Haggerty a kickboxing less at ONE 171
Chinese striking sensation Wei Rui believes his time has come and has made his intentions clear ahead of battling Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight kickboxing title in Qatar on Thursday. The pair will be the last to clash at ONE 171, and Wei said he would take 'the belt as payment' for the kickboxing lesson he planned to hand out. A former K-1 champion and WLF title-holder, Wei arrives in Doha riding an extraordinary 21-fight winning streak. His most recent victory, a unanimous decision over former ONE champion Hiroki Akimoto in May 2024, solidified his status as the division's top-ranked contender. Now, he is eager to become the first Chinese fighter to claim a ONE kickboxing world title. 'This winning momentum gives me more power. More power and more confidence to win this fight,' said the in-form fighter, whose nickname is 'Demon Blade.' Jonathan Haggerty and Wei Rui square off ahead of their title fight at ONE 171 in Qatar. Photo: ONE Championship For Haggerty, this fight represents both an opportunity and a challenge. The British superstar has already carved out an impressive legacy, holding the bantamweight Muay Thai title and briefly reigning as a two-sport champion.
USA Today
19-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Photos: ONE 171 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs
Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and their faceoffs from the ONE 171 ceremonial weigh-ins in Qatar. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship) one-171-weigh-ins-jake-peacock-shinji-suzuki-1 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-jake-peacock-shinji-suzuki Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-zayed-alkatheeri-mohammad-aburumuh Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-nicolas-vigna Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-kade-ruotolo Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-kade-ruotolo-nicolas-vigna Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-kevin-belingon Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-bibiano-fernandes Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-bibiano-fernandes-kevin-belingon Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-bibiano-fernandes-kevin-belingon-1 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-ritu-phogat Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-ayaka-miura Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-ayaka-miura-ritu-phogat-1 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-ayaka-miura-ritu-phogat Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-ayaka-miura-ritu-phogat-2 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-aung-la-n-sang Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-shamil-erdogan Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-shamil-erdogan-aung-la-n-sang Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-shamil-erdogan-aung-la-n-sang-1 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-dagi-arsanaliev Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-roberto-soldic Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-roberto-soldic-2 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-dagi-arsanaliev-roberto-soldic Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-dagi-arsanaliev-roberto-soldic-1 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-jarred-brooks-2 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-jarred-brooks-3 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-jarred-brooks-1 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-joshua-pacio-1 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-joshua-pacio-jarred-brooks Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-joshua-pacio-jarred-brooks-4 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-joshua-pacio-jarred-brooks-3 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-joshua-pacio-jarred-brooks-2 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-jarred-brooks Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-joshua-pacio Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email one-171-weigh-ins-joshua-pacio-jarred-brooks-1 Share Share this image gallery on Facebook on Twitter via text message via email Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Al Jazeera
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Q&A Jonathan Haggerty: MMA world champion talks ONE 171 Wei Rui fight
ONE World Bantamweight Kickboxing Champion Jonathan 'The General' Haggerty is in Doha, Qatar to defend his title on February 20 in the ONE 171 mixed martial arts event at Lusail Sports Arena. The British fighter will defend his coveted world title for the first time and is drawn against number one-ranked contender, Wei Rui, a Chinese kickboxing megastar who is riding an astonishing 21-fight winning streak. Al Jazeera spoke with the Muay Thai and kickboxing star before the much-anticipated bout at ONE 171: Al Jazeera: Hi Jonathan, welcome to Doha. You have toured the Middle East before – Have you noticed an uptick in MMA fan interest and support this time around? Jonathan Haggerty: Yeah, it's amazing to be back here in Qatar. This time around, I'm fighting, I'm competing, so I've seen a lot of interest on social media around this fight, a lot of support from the Qataris, and it's been great. I'm very excited to put on a great show. Jonathan Haggerty: Yes, I've recently moved to kickboxing. I was obviously the Muay Thai world champion. I've had a few Muay Thai fights, Muay Thai is my first love. But now, I've moved over to kickboxing, as well. I'm very excited to compete in kickboxing. I got the opportunity and I took it with both hands. And I'm the world champion now, I can't wait to defend the kickboxing belt this Thursday. Al Jazeera: You are fighting a super dangerous opponent in Wei Rui. What are you expecting from him when you meet in the ring at the ONE 171 Championship event on Thursday night? Jonathan Haggerty: Yeah, 100 percent. My opponent is very dangerous. We can't take him lightly. He's got a 70-3 record which is very good, very impressive, and he's the number one [in the bantamweight kickboxing rankings] for a reason, so it's up to me now to be the best version of myself in there. We're ready, we're ready for anything that he brings. Al Jazeera: You have been involved in MMA competition for more than a decade. At 28 years old, do you feel you have hit your peak yet as a fighter, as a competitor? Jonathan Haggerty: One hundred percent, I haven't reached my peak yet. I feel my peak is yet to come. And I'm excited for when it does come. I feel like I'm still testing myself in both disciplines [Muay Thai and kickboxing] and I'll be fully developed in the next few years, for sure. Al Jazeera: What goals would you still like to reach in your fighting career? Jonathan Haggerty: I'll definitely like to pursue the MMA world title. So, if ONE Championship decides to give me the MMA world title then I'll definitely be excited about it for sure. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
