'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMXSCn//xAAgEAACAgEEAwEAAAAAAAAAAAACAwEEBQAHERIGFEJy/9oACAEBAAE/AMjttfTkqCAwClDYmKjVe6JTJpjsXE/JFA8zrI7TZK3kLVlHjPRLmkwBC4uBGJn96//EABQRAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAIAQIBAT8Af//EABQRAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAIAQMBAT8Af//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Christian Lee wanted to prove a point by attempting to take down Alibeg Rasulov.
At ONE Fight Night 26, Lee attempted to defend his lightweight MMA world title in the main event. The two-division world champion's most recent opponent, Rasulov, held an undefeated record of 14-0.
Rasulov's striking shouldn't be overlooked, but he's primarily known for his physical attributes and dominant grappling. Therefore, Lee tried to make a statement in the first round by pursuing a takedown.
Unfortunately, the ONE Fight Night 26 main event ended in disappointment in round 2, as Lee's unintentional eye poke led to a no-contest.
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During an interview with the Bangkok Post, Lee reflected on attempting to take down Rasulov. He also mentioned their inevitable rematch:
"My goal was to take him down and he was defending on the ring ropes pretty well there so whether it's a ring or a cage, I'll be looking forward to the rematch."
ONE Fight Night 26 may not have ended as expected, but there were plenty of entertaining moments. North American and Canadian viewers can re-watch the December 6 event with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Christian Lee's entire interview with the Bangkok Post below:
Christian Lee will prioritize family before potential Alibeg Rauslov rematch
Christian Lee and Alibeg Rasulov didn't seem to suffer much damage besides the accidental eye poke. With that said the lightweight MMA world title rematch won't happen for a few months due to Lee expecting his third child in the near future.
Lee talked about his future plans during his latest post-fight press conference:
"I'd like to be back in there soon. I trained 13 long weeks for this and I worked really hard. I would take an immediate fight, but I'm about to have another baby so I want to take some time off."
Christian Lee is focused on settling his lightweight MMA dispute with Alibeg Rasulov. Meanwhile, Lee also has the responsibility of defending his ONE welterweight MMA world title, which may need an interim champion in the meantime.
Lee conquered his second division with a fourth-round TKO win against then-welterweight king Kiamrian Abbasov in November 2022.
