It’s been 19 months since two-division MMA king Christian Lee last competed inside the ONE Championship Circle, but his hiatus will officially end at ONE 169: Atlanta later this year.
Lee will return to the promotion when he defends the ONE Lightweight MMA World Championship against Alibeg Rasulov on Saturday, 9th November, at Atlanta, Georgia’s State Farm Arena.
“The Warrior” hasn’t been seen since he dramatically dethroned former ONE Welterweight MMA World Champion Kiamrian Abbasov to become a two-weight titleholder in November 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 4.
One month after that huge accomplishment, Lee tragically lost his younger sister, rising mixed martial arts star Victoria, causing him to step back from competition to focus on family.
But now, it appears he’s ready to pick up where he left off with the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title, which he claimed for the first time against the legendary Shinya Aoki at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in May 2019.
He defended the gold on three occasions before a shock defeat to Ok Rae Yoon at ONE: REVOLUTION in September 2021 saw his momentum come to an end.
But Lee emphatically retook the throne by knocking out the South Korean in their rematch at ONE 160 in August 2022.
The hard-hitting Hawaii native’s run in ONE Championship has been nothing short of enigmatic. He has won eight of his last nine outings, with seven of those coming by knockout, and he still holds the record for most victories (17) and most stoppages (16) in the promotion’s history.
However, his upcoming opponent, Rasulov, will undoubtedly offer Lee a challenge.
The undefeated Turkish sensation arrived in the world’s largest martial arts organization earlier this month, and he got to work fast by besting “The Warrior’s” old rival, Ok, by unanimous decision in the main event of ONE Fight Night 23.
Their tilt was initially scheduled to be for the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title until Rasulov failed to pass hydration testing and didn’t manage to make weight in the official time window, rendering him unable to win the belt.
Nonetheless, he saw victory on his promotional bow, pushing his perfect professional slate to 14-0, which has earned him a shot at Lee’s crown.
Both men have a string of finishes to their names, so fans would be wise to expect this one to end before the final bell at ONE 169.
The thrilling show – ONE Championship’s second in the U.S. this year – will also see the return of three-division MMA king Anatoly Malykhin, who will defend the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane. Along with that, Tawanchai PK Saenchai is set to put his ONE featherweight Muay Thai crown on the line a second time against hometown favorite “Smokin” Jo Nattawut in a huge trilogy match.
