3 keys to victory for Christian Lee at ONE on Prime Video 4

Christian Lee has always been up for a challenge, but his next one might just be the most dangerous fight he’ll ever face in ONE Championship.

The reigning ONE lightweight world champion will move up a division and face Kiamrian Abbasov for the ONE welterweight world title. The bout is set to main event ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 18 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

ONE on Prime Video 4 will be streamed live through Amazon Prime Video and existing subscribers can watch the card for free.

Lee, who started his career at featherweight, will try to claim a second world title. However, Abbasov is a different beast altogether. Still, it’s not like ‘The Warrior’ has backed off from any test he’s had inside the circle.

That said, here are Christian Lee’s keys to victory against Abbasov.

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#3. Keep the fight at the center and avoid the circle wall

Christian Lee has always been a tremendous grappler, but he’s walking into uncharted waters and Kiamrian Abbasov is ready to use whatever advantage he has against the Singaporean-American star.

Abbasov is a relentless wrestler and it would be fatal for Lee if he gives the welterweight king any opportunity to bring him down to the mat.

He may not use his striking to push forward, but Abbasov can constrict anyone once he puts the fight near the cage wall. Abbasov is a dangerous grappler and he has no problems controlling his opponents and sapping out their energy.

It would be imperative for Lee to keep the fight in the center of the circle and put Abbasov where he can land some punishing strikes. Yes, it’s safer for Lee to out-strike Abbasov, but doing that is just putting the match into his wheelhouse.

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#2. Push the pace, don't move backward

Christian Lee is at his best when he’s the aggressor in a fight and he should be doing just that when he faces Abbasov this month.

It’s vital for the reigning ONE lightweight world champion to push the pace and keep Abbasov on the defensive. This not only puts him in a better position to attack, but it also subdues Abbasov’s grappling.

While Abbasov’s an effective grappler, Lee is a devastating striker and he needs that aggression to dictate the flow of the fight. The moment Lee gets on the back foot is the moment Abbasov attacks.

Lee has to move constantly forward throughout the contest and consistently look for the opening to attack and chop down at Abbasov. Fans may not like it very much, but leg kicks are the most effective way to stop wrestlers.

If Lee can methodically negate Abbasov’s grappling, then it’s practically game over for the welterweight king.

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#1. Use speed and explosiveness, and "be Christian Lee”

Jumping up weight classes usually slows fighters down, but Christian Lee has shown an ability to not only get stronger but get faster every time he steps inside the circle.

The former featherweight fighter is one of the fastest fighters in ONE Championship. He darts in and out of his opponent’s range and capitalizes on that speed to batter any unfortunate soul he comes across.

Lee not only retained that speed from when he was at 155 pounds, but he’s even added strength to his blazing pace.

The best example of this was when he obliterated Ok Rae Yoon in their rematch at ONE 160 this past August. Lee was a man on a mission during his fight against Ok and the South Korean star barely landed any punch during the contest.

Although he had a sublime performance in his previous fight, Lee actually needs to do better than that. Abbasov, who’s a natural welterweight, is as tough as Ok and is expected to absorb as much damage as the former ONE lightweight world champion.

Nevertheless, Christian Lee has already shown the ability to go full speed ahead. Lee can always rely on his explosiveness and if he mixes that up with a calculated striking attack, then he could be holding a second world title at the end of the night.