Christian Lee believes ONE Championship's rule set allows him to showcase mixed martial arts at its purest form after defending his ONE Lightweight MMA World Championship with a second-round TKO of previously unbeaten Alibeg Rasulov at ONE 173 in Tokyo.
The 27-year-old two-division ruler earned a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for his finish inside Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16. Lee handed the Turkish challenger his first career loss after their initial December meeting ended in a no-contest due to an inadvertent eye poke.
Lee weathered an early storm when Rasulov secured a takedown in the opening round, but the champion returned to his feet and controlled the striking exchanges. After getting tagged early in round two, Rasulov desperately shot for another takedown. Lee sprawled, locked in a D'Arce choke, and unleashed grounded knees that forced the stoppage at 2:32 of the second round.
The victory improved Lee's record to 18-4 with 17 finishes, reinforcing his status as one of mixed martial arts' most prolific finishers. The Prodigy Training Center representative credited ONE Championship's Global MMA Rule Set, which allows knees to grounded opponents, for providing the ideal platform for his finishing style.
"I love the ONE Championship rule set. I think that knees to a grounded opponent is MMA in the purest sense. The sport was designed to figure out who the best fighter in the world is across any discipline," Lee explained.
"And I believe with mixed martial arts, you're able to prove that you're the best fighter in the world. And with the martial arts, with the ONE Championship rule set, it allows me to put that on perfectly, so I'm very grateful for it."
With the rematch settled, Lee plans to remain active across both his lightweight and welterweight divisions in 2026. He holds titles in both weight classes and intends to defend whichever belt has a clear contender emerge first, though he has particular focus on his welterweight gold.
"I'm staying active in both divisions. And once I get word on who the clear contender is, then I'll be getting ready for that division. I do have my eyes set on the welterweight division, and right now I'll be waiting on who the next opponent is," Lee stated.
