"I felt like he was going to be good" - Alibeg Rasulov admits he expected grueling five-round war against Ok Rae Yoon

Alibeg Rasulov came out on top in the main event of ONE Fight Night 23 in a contest that pushed both he and his opponent to the limit.

The Turkish competitor came in with a track record and reputation for implementing his heavy grappling game and that's exactly what he looked to accomplish at Lumpinee Stadium this past weekend.

It was never going to be an easy fight for the new arrival who went straight in at the deep end of the lightweight division.

Rasulov was tasked with facing the former champion Ok Rae Yoon in his first outing which is certainly an acid test for the undefeated contender.

After engaging in a five-round battle with his opponent, he spoke about whether the fight was similar to his expectations.

Rasulov told the South China Morning Post that he saw the contest going into deep waters because of the experience that Ok Rae Yoon brings to the table.

"Yeah, I think so. Because he is a really experienced fighter and he had so many fights. At the same time, he fought five rounds before that's why I felt like he was going to be good."

Watch the full interview below:

---

Alibeg Rasulov showed that he belongs at this level

It was certainly a tough test for Alibeg Rasulov to face Ok Rae Yoon on his ONE Championship debut at Lumpinee Stadium.

In stepping right into the title picture in the lightweight division, it was sink or swim for him on July 5 and he showed that he belongs at this level of competition.

His suffocating grappling style is sure to be a big problem for his fellow top contenders after how well he was able to shut down his opponent.

There is still room for improvement but as far as debuts go, it doesn't get much better than what fans witnessed with Rasulov.

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 23 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.