“He hasn’t fought anybody like me” – Arjan Bhullar out to prove a point against Amir Aliakbari at ONE 166: Qatar

Former ONE heavyweight MMA world champion Arjan Bhullar is ready to make a statement when he meets surging contender Amir Aliakbari.

On Friday, March 1, ONE Championship makes its highly anticipated debut inside Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar for ONE 166. In the main event of the evening, reigning two-division world champ Anatoly Malykhin will look to make history when he challenges Reinier de Ridder for the ONE middleweight MMA crown. If Malykhin comes out on top, he will become the promotion’s first-ever simultaneous three-division champion.

But first, fans will be treated to a can’t-miss heavyweight clash as Bhullar returns determined to climb back into world title contention. Standing in his way is streaking Iranian standout Amir Aliakbari who is riding the wave of three straight wins via KO.

Speaking with ONE ahead of his return to the Circle, Arjan Bhullar made it clear that he’s coming to Qatar ready to prove a point against Aliakbari.

“In terms of the hype? We're going to find out that night. He hasn't fought anybody like me, and he hasn't fought me, so we're going to find out. March 1st. That's what makes me excited.”

Will Amir Aliakbari score the biggest win of his career against Arjan Bhullar?

After kicking off his ONE Championship run with back-to-back losses against Kang Ji Won and Anatoly Malykhin, Amir Aliakbari got things back on track, rattling off wins against Mauro Cerilli, former heavyweight MMA world champion Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera, and Dustin Joynson in his last three outings.

With one more big win under his belt, Aliakbari will likely be the next man in line to challenge Malykhin for the ONE heavyweight MMA world title. But getting past Arjan Bhullar will be much easier said than done.

Will Bhullar climb back into the win column, or will Amir Aliakbari prove himself to be the next big thing in ONE’s heavyweight division?

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE 166: Qatar live and for free on Friday, March 1.