"I will not make the same mistake" - Alibeg Rasulov puts weight issues behind him after stellar ONE debut

Alibeg Rasulov was happy to come away with the win on his ONE Championship debut this past weekend.

ONE Fight Night 23 was a huge moment for his career as he maintained his undefeated record on the global stage.

Rasulov took on former lightweight champion Ok Rae Yoon in the main event on July 5 where the judges scored the fight in his favor at the end of five grueling rounds.

The only drawback to him opening up his account with a win was that he had failed his hydration test on fight week making him not eligible to secure the interim title.

Defeating a top contender in the division is still a big step for him but in order to improve upon this debut, he told the South China Morning Post that he will look to correct this error next time out:

"Yeah, of course, I feel a bit disappointed. But I still won, that's why next fight I will not make the same mistake."

Watch the full interview below:

Alibeg Rasulov was one test away from a perfect debut

Had Alibeg Rasulov passed his hydration test and become the interim champion at Lumpinee Stadium, it would have been a perfect debut for him.

The Turkish competitor has still managed to insert himself at the top of the lightweight division off of this one victory but he could have claimed a piece of the world championship in the process.

Title or not, Rasulov certainly showed why he belongs in the top tier of his weight class with a suffocating performance that allowed him to shut down much of his opponent's offense.

It wasn't necessarily a flawless victory but to go five rounds with a former champion and come out on top is one hell of a way to announce your arrival.

Passing his hydration test will be another big step for him to take next time out.

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