ONE Championship is ready for a night to remember, live in U.S. primetime, when ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug this Friday, Nov. 8.
The stacked lineup covers MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing across 11 bouts, and every match could take home Fight of the Night honors.
ONE 169 is one of the year’s strongest cards, but why should you be locked in from the very star?
Here are four big reasons to check it out on Prime Video at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST this Friday night.
Heavyweight Hitters
All eyes will be on the heavyweight MMA division, with its two colossal matches. Divisional contenders Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida and Amir Aliakbari will try to make their case for a shot at gold early on the card, while reigning king Anatoly Malykhin defends the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane in the evening’s main event.
All this means the ring will need to be reinforced.
“Buchecha” vs. Aliakbari is an intriguing matchup on paper, as it will be Almeida’s legendary BJJ game against the Iranian’s wrestling. But both men have shown their fury with their fists in ONE too, so this one could end on the feet or the mats.
As far as the headlining bout goes Malykhin has been getting under “Reug Reug’s” skin throughout event week, setting the stage for a heated championship showdown. Malykhin is one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound talents, but it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against a heavyweight powerhouse with something to prove.
Both battles will shine a bright light on ONE heavyweight MMA ranks, and they are easily enough to throw the remote away on Friday night.
A Women’s Strawweight Striking Masterclass
Multiple-time Muay Thai and kickboxing champion Anissa Meksen had her eyes on American superstar Janet Todd as soon as she joined ONE in 2021, but a matchup never came to fruition before the former atomweight kickboxing queen hung up her gloves.
Instead, “C18” will get a chance to take on Todd’s Boxing Works teammate, Jackie Buntan, at ONE 169. And there will be gold on the line.
The battle for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing Title could prove to be an even tougher test for Meksen than “JT” would have offered. While Buntan’s experience lies primarily in Muay Thai, she is bigger, quicker, and more powerful.
The question will be if the French-Algerian star’s experience and technical advantage can stymie the overwhelming power of Buntan. Over five rounds, this could become a gritty affair that steals the show in Bangkok.
Electric Muay Thai Matches
There are four Muay Thai matchups on the ONE 169 lineup, and each should bring plenty of chaos to the ring.
The most notable is the return of Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Although “The Iron Man” lost the flyweight Muay Thai gold on the scale, his rematch against the ultra-tough Jacob Smith will still go ahead at catchweight. There is still much for Rodtang to prove with a potential meeting with Japanese superstar Takeru Segawa still a possibility, but don’t count out Smith’s prowess in this one.
In the other matches, American star Eddie Abasolo returns against Mohamed Younes Rabah, Kongthoranee Sor Sommai and Tagir Khalilov square off, and Aliff Sor Dechapan is set to meets Walter Goncalves.
Every match offers a unique and exciting addition to this stacked lineup, with the “art of eight limbs” ready to come in full effect.
Ruotolo’s MMA Return
ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling Champion Kade Ruotolo will be back for his second professional MMA contest at ONE 169. The American grappling enigma is going up against Ahmed Mujtaba, who already has a win in ONE against a BJJ black belt.
While Ruotolo is a whole other level of canvas-based skill, Mujtaba’s past victory shows how dangerous he can be against anyone. The Pakastani’s power could be a factor for the striking neophyte.
This is a huge test for Ruotolo as he strives to make his name known in the stacked lightweight MMA division. If he dominates, it will be hard not to thrust him into its upper echelon. But Mujtaba knows what it will mean if he takes the victory, so he’ll undoubtedly have every weapon as sharp as possible.
ONE 169 airs live and free on Prime Video at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST to all Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and Canada on Friday, Nov. 8.