Christian Lee bounced back to the top of the ONE lightweight division in emphatic fashion as he finished Ok Rae Yoon in their championship rematch to recapture the division’s title at ONE 160.
The pair met in the main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium as ONE held back-to-back events at the venue – one for the Asian market and another on US primetime.
ONE 160 continued the promotion’s regular slate of events, with the show held on Asian primetime, as Lee delivered a devastating display to finish Ok.
The finishing sequence came in the second round, as Lee exploded into a superman punch, then a solid low kick, before connecting with a big overhand right that sent the defending champion to the canvas.
Lee followed up with a salvo of punishing knees to his downed opponent to force the stoppage as he reclaimed the title Ok took from him in their first meeting back in September 2021 in a bout the South Korean edged by decision.
The judges weren’t needed in the rematch, however, with Lee’s blistering finish returning him to the lightweight summit as he became a two-time ONE lightweight champion.
There was also a title change in the co-main event, as Tang Kai became the first Chinese male athlete to capture a major MMA title after earning a unanimous decision victory over featherweight champ Thanh Le.
Le had won the title by defeating Australia’s Martin Nguyen by TKO in October 2020, then defended the belt in March this year with a 56-second demolition of Garry Tonon.
But he was unable to keep that run of success going against Tang, who employed a smart strategy to stay away from the American’s prodigious punch power, using a steady stream of leg kicks and lateral movement.
As the fight progressed into the later rounds, Tang started to find a home for his own punches, and even dropped the defending champion with a well-placed left hook in the fourth round.
But it was his tactical approach, and his ability to stick to that gameplan despite Le’s increased work-rate later in the fight that proved crucial as he joined women’s strawweight champ Xiong Jing Nan as a Chinese ONE champion, and the first male from his nation to hold a ONE championship belt.
ONE 160: Official Results
- Christian Lee def. Ok Rae Yoon TKO (knees) – Round 2, 1:00 – for lightweight title
- Tang Kai def. Thanh Le via unanimous decision – for featherweight title
- Saemapetch Fairtex def. Rittewada Petchyindee via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:35 – Muay Thai bout
- Keanu Subba def. Amir Khan via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:29
- Martin Batur def. Paul Elliott via TKO (ground and pound) – Round 1, 3:38
- Tommy Langaker def. Renato Canuto via decision – submission grappling bout
- Kantharaj Agasa def. Thales Nakassu via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:55
