News by Ben Coate
Date: Dec 11, 2024
‘I Feel Like I Was Winning’ – Christian Lee Reflects On No-Contest Ending To Comeback Fight Against Alibeg Rasulov
Last Friday, December 6, two-division king Christian “The Warrior” Lee made his highly anticipated return to action after two years on the sidelines.
In the main event of ONE Fight Night 26 on Prime Video, the 26-year-old superstar put his ONE Lightweight MMA World Title on the line against undefeated Turkish sensation Alibeg Rasulov.
Unfortunately, the bout would come to an anticlimactic end.
Late in the second round, after nearly 10 minutes of blistering action, Rasulov suffered an accidental eye poke that left him unable to continue, resulting in a no contest.
Despite the disappointing conclusion, Lee was happy to be back doing what he does best under the bright lights.
He told onefc.com: “It felt great to be back in action. It was almost two years since I was last in there, and I felt good moving around in the ring. I was just hoping that the fight could have continued so I could have pushed for a finish.”
Even though he didn’t earn a victory, the no-contest ruling meant “The Warrior” retained his lightweight MMA gold.
Afterward, he said the time away from competition didn’t negatively affect his performance, but as always, he expected more of himself and feels he could have done more: “I don’t think I felt any ring rust. I do feel like I could have performed better, which I always do after every fight, but I do feel I was 100 percent on track to getting the finish there.”
While MMA bouts in ONE Championship are scored as a whole – and not on a round-by-round basis – the titleholder believes he was ahead on the scorecards.
In Lee’s opinion, it was only a matter of time until he recorded his 16th career stoppage: “I feel like I was winning the fight. I feel like I was landing the bigger shots. I was pushing forward while controlling the action in the ring. I feel like I was on track to wearing him down and taking him out.”
Lee Open To Rematch With Rasulov; Happy To Defend Either Belt
Given the inconclusive ending to his ONE Lightweight MMA World Title defense against Alibeg Rasulov, it’s no surprise that Christian Lee is entertaining a rematch with the Turkish fighter.
In fact, “The Warrior” would jump at the opportunity to score an emphatic victory and erase any doubts about his status atop the division: “I would definitely be open to a rematch against Rasulov. For me, I’m not happy going away from a fight without getting a clear, decisive win – getting a finish. So, I’m sure that we’ll face each other again in the future. I’m not sure what the immediate plans are going to be. But yeah, if they offer me that match again, I’m going to take it so I can finish it.”
With an immediate rematch potentially on the table, Lee can look ahead to a busy year in 2025.
In addition to his lightweight crown, he is also the reigning ONE Welterweight MMA World Champion. As a two-division titleholder, he knows there are plenty of hungry contenders – both at lightweight and welterweight – itching for their shots at his belts.
Bring them on, he said: “Other than Rasulov, there are a lot of other great fighters out here in ONE Championship. So we’ll see what ONE Championship’s plans are for me, but I’ll be ready to defend the lightweight or welterweight belts in the future.”
