ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug was already looking like a stacked card, but it has just gotten bigger in the most literal of ways with the latest addition.
Heavyweight MMA superstars Amir Aliakbari and Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida will now square off at the Saturday, 9th November, event inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium, and their clash could well produce the next challenger for the division’s crown.
The meshing of styles will likely make for an interesting battle. Starting off, Aliakbari brings forth an accomplished resume as a former Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion, and he has the knockout power that can end a bout on a moment’s notice.
The Iranian powerhouse has 10 knockouts in 14 professional MMA outings, with notable stoppages over the likes of Mauro Cerilli at ONE on Prime Video 2 in August 2022 and former ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion Brandon Vera at ONE 164 in December 2022.
He’ll also enter his contest with Almeida on a four-fight winning streak, and three of those came by knockout.
In fact, Aliakbari hasn’t tasted defeat since he came up against reigning heavyweight MMA king and three-weight ONE World Champion Anatoly Malykhin at ONE: REVOLUTION in September 2021.
So there’s no doubt Aliakbari will be hoping for a signature showing at ONE 169 for a shot at redemption, and there would be no better way for the 6-foot-4 behemoth to avenge his prior defeat than to strip Malykhin of his heavyweight gold.
However, “Buchecha” will be just as hungry to assert his dominance.
The Brazilian is known as one the greatest stars in the history of Brazilian jiu jitsu, and he’s proven he’s worth the hype so far in ONE Championship.
Almeida got off to a flying start when he scored three first-round submissions in his first three fights in the promotion, against Anderson Silva at ONE: REVOLUTION, Kang Ji Won at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS in December 2021, and Kirill Grishenko at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022.
He then showed his diverse skill set when he knocked out Simon Carson in the first round of their clash at ONE 158 in June 2022.
But that momentum came to an end in his last promotional outing at ONE Fight Night 13 last August. That evening, he lost a rough-and-ragged decision to “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane.
Both Aliakbari and “Buchecha” still aspire to earn a shot at heavyweight MMA gold at some point in the future, so this fight could very well be their most significant to date, given the repercussions it may hold for the winner on 9th November.
