Christian Lee has no intention of letting his ONE Lightweight MMA World Title rematch against Alibeg Rasulov go the distance when they meet at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on November 16 in Tokyo, Japan.
The two-division MMA king revealed his game plan for the highly anticipated clash at Ariake Arena, predicting a decisive finish early in the fight.
"I plan on going in there and wasting no time. I see it ending in a few different ways, but if I could just stay straightforward, I think that I'll take him down, and I'll submit him within the first five minutes," Lee declared.
The rematch stems from their controversial December 2024 encounter at ONE Fight Night 26, which ended in a no contest during the second round. An accidental eye poke from Lee rendered the undefeated Turkish challenger unable to continue, leaving the 27-year-old convinced he was on the verge of victory.
Lee questioned whether his opponent needed the extended recovery time before the fight was ultimately waved off.
"When the initial eye poke happened, I was like, 'Okay, give him some time.' I thought he was just trying to get a breather. But when it was called off, I really felt like the victory was right there," the Singaporean-American explained.
The reigning ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Champion insists he was establishing dominance before the premature conclusion.
"I think that him being more competitive didn't change the fact that I was dominating the fight, and the way that we felt in there, I felt that the momentum was shifting. That's why I was upset about the ending," Lee said.
Lee comes from a renowned family of martial artists and has compiled an extraordinary promotional record of 17-4 with 16 finishes. His 17 victories represent the most wins in ONE Championship’s MMA history.
With unfinished business to settle, both fighters will look to deliver a definitive result in Japan.
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