Is Saygid Izagakhmaev in training for Christian Lee lightweight showdown?

Third-ranked Russian contender Saygid Izagakhmaev is readying himself for a potential ONE world title opportunity. Winner of three straight, Izagakhmaev may have punched his ticket to a showdown with reigning lightweight world champion Christian Lee following his impressive first-round knockout of Asian MMA legend Shinya Aoki at ONE 163.

ONE Championship shared a clip of Izagakhmaev putting in work at the gym, suggesting he may be preparing for his first shot at ONE gold in the near future.

“Saygid Izagakhmaev stays BUSY 🔥”

Izagakhmaev had a hell of a 2022, scoring three in a row within the calendar year against James Nakashima, Zhang Lipeng, and the aforementioned Aoki. With the most recent victory, the Nurmagomedov MMA product moved into the No. 3 spot on the lightweight rankings and is the most logical man to challenge Lee for his lightweight crown.

Christian Lee is hot off his fourth-round knockout of Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4 to capture the ONE welterweight world championship, becoming a two-division titleholder in the process. Lee has acknowledged that Izagakhmaev is the clear next man in line in the lightweight division, but ONE is yet to make an official announcement regarding what comes next for ‘The Warrior’ inside the circle.

Saygid Izagakhmaev believes he is destined to be a ONE world champion

With his third straight win inside the circle, Saygid Izagakhmaev believes that his destiny is to become ONE Championship’s lightweight king. In an interview with ONE Championship, Izagakhmaev said that it is only a matter of time before he wraps 26.4 pounds of gold around his waist:

“I’m destined to be the lightweight champion, it’s only a matter of time. I think I will become the ONE World Champion in half a year. I’m the new force in the lightweight division, and nobody will stop me.”

To become the lightweight world champion, he’ll have to go through the most prolific finisher in ONE Championship history, Christian Lee. At just 24 years old, Lee has two world championships, 17 career wins inside the circle, and an incredible 94% finish rate. When the time comes, Izagakhmaev will face a tough task in dethroning arguably the best lightweight fighter in the world today.