“Doesn’t matter to me” - Christian Lee has no qualms about immediate rematch with Alibeg Rasulov or welterweight title defense

Christian Lee plans to "see what ONE Championship has in mind" following ONE Fight Night 26.

On Dec. 6, Lee ended a two-year layoff to defend his lightweight MMA world title in the ONE Fight Night 26 main event. The two-division world champion's latest opponent was undefeated Turkish contender Alibeg Rasulov.

Lee looked phenomenal in round one as he shut down any conspiracies of "ring rust." In the second round, 'The Warrior' accidentally landed an eye poke with only a few seconds left in the frame, which Rasulov couldn't recover from.

Lee vs. Rasulov was officially scored a no-contest, creating a strong argument for an immediate rematch. During a post-fight interview with the Bangkok Post, the two-division MMA world champion opened up on what's next:

"We’ll see what ONE Championship has in mind, what Chatri wants to do. There are two divisions that I’m [ruling]. So if it’s not a rematch at lightweight or a new opponent, then I’ll be looking to defend at welterweight, so doesn’t matter to me."

Christian Lee vs. Alibeg Rasulov wasn't the only world title fight at ONE Fight Night 26. Earlier in the night, Mayssa Bastos defended her women's atomweight submission grappling world title in an immediate rematch against Danielle Kelly.

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 26 is available on demand for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

Check out Christian Lee's interview with the Bangkok Post below:

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Potential welterweight opponents for Christian Lee

Alibeg Rasulov is the clear option for Christian Lee's next ONE lightweight MMA world title defense. Meanwhile, the two-division king might decide to defend his welterweight throne next time out.

The next welterweight title challenger should be Zebaztian Kadestam. The 34-year-old is a former world champion in the division and holds a promotional record of 7-4 since his debut in May 2017.

Kadestam is riding a three-fight winning streak, starting with first-round knockouts against Valmir Da Silva and Iuri Lapicus. In May 2023, the Swedish welterweight made a massive statement with a highlight-reel knockout against Roberto Soldic.

Don't be surprised if Lee vs. Kadestam goes down in the first half of 2025.

Check out Kadestam knock out Soldic below: