Christian “The Warrior” Lee’s highly anticipated return had an anticlimactic ending, as his defense of the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title against Alibeg Rasulov resulted in a no-contest at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video on Friday, December 6.
An accidental eye poke near the end of the second round halted the action-packed main event at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with Rasulov unable to continue after taking a wayward finger from Lee.
Despite the unfortunate conclusion, this fight was a war from the get-go. The 26-year-old Lee, returning from a two-year hiatus after the tragic death of his sister Victoria Lee, didn’t miss a step, as a snappy jab quickly rocked Rasulov and reminded him who he was up against.
However, the undefeated Turkish challenger was more than up to the task. The 32-year-old defended Lee’s takedown attempts while connecting on a few solid combinations of his own.
Action only picked up in the second round, with the Singaporean-American titleholder stringing together solid combinations of punches and kicks while Rasulov gamely responded with accurate overhand rights and straights.
The athletes continued to trade big shots and combinations, but the wild exchanges would lead to the eye poke from Lee – and ultimately, a permanent stoppage of the contest with Rasulov’s left eye almost completely shut.
Given the outcome, expect the two to run it back sometime next year, with Lee stating post-fight that he anticipates a rematch in early 2025.
Source link
