Zuhayr Al-Qahtani anticipates tough fight vs. Mehdi Zatout at ONE 166: Qatar

The anticipation is building as Zuhayr Al-Qahtani prepares to make his promotional debut at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

His maiden appearance takes place at the majestic Lusail Sports Arena, where he squares off with Mehdi Zatout in a 147-pound boxing bout.

“The Arabian Warrior” is not taking this assignment lightly. He believes that ONE Championship has chosen Zatout for a great purpose.

“Mehdi Zatout is an excellent martial artist. He has achieved a lot of good things in martial arts and Muay Thai. He’s done great things for the sport,” Al-Qahtani said.

“To compete against him is just something that I would love to have on my resume. His skills are great. I am going against an ex-World Champion.”

Actually, this marks Zatout’s return to action since announcing his retirement following a first-round TKO victory over Asa Ten Pow in October 2022.

The French-Algerian kickboxer had a memorable run under the ONE banner. He came close to claiming the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title against Capitan Petchyindee in September 2021.

The allure of a new challenge has brought Zatout back into the fold. This has set the stage for an intriguing showdown with Al-Qahtani.

While some may view the matchup as a mismatch, given Zatout’s background in Muay Thai and kickboxing against Al-Qahtani’s expertise in boxing, the latter vehemently disagrees.

“You have to keep in mind that we’re going into the fight with two different types of styles. He’s not a conventional boxer. He’s a Muay Thai fighter, and he’s going to try to box conventionally,” the WBC Middle Eastern Champion said.

“It’s easier to fight an elite boxer but harder to fight someone who has no experience in boxing, if that makes sense.”

Zuhayr Al-Qahtani promises fireworks against Mehdi Zatout

Acknowledging the challenge ahead, Zuhayr Al-Qahtani wants to be in his top form against Mehdi Zatout.

He recognizes the responsibility both fighters share in making the bout live up to the hype surrounding this historic ONE Championship event in Qatar.

“It is going to be an exciting fight. All I can tell you now is that it will be an exciting fight and will probably be the best fight of the show,” he said.