“Saygid is going to win that fight” - Christian Lee breaks down Saygid Izagakhmaev, picks him to win over Zhang Lipeng

Taking note of the rising talent in the 170 lbs division, Christian Lee expects No.5-ranked contender Saygid Izagakhmaev to extend his current run with a win over Zhang Lipeng on Sept 29.

Lee recently recaptured his world title in an exhilarating rematch against Ok Rae Yoon by second-round TKO, establishing himself as the king of the division. With that said, ‘The Warrior’ is on the watch for some upcoming competition headed his way.

Taking a special interest in the next lightweight bout at ONE 161, Lee believes Saygid has the winning edge over Chinese hard-hitting veteran Zhang Lipeng.

Speaking to ONE Championship, the United MMA representative said:

“I think Saygid is going to win that fight. Lipeng, he’s a veteran of the sport, but I think Saygid brings a special skill set to the division. I think it’s going to take someone special to really stop his run, and I see him working his way up to a title shot real soon.”

As Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege, Izagakhmaev poses a real threat to the lightweight division. He is a dominant wrestler and a proficient finisher with an outstanding MMA record of 20-2.

However, Christian Lee maintains that Izagakhmaev needs to build his record with the promotion before being considered for a world title opportunity.

“Saygid has fought once in ONE Championship [submitting James Nakashima]. Even though he’s got a good record outside of ONE, this will be another fight against somebody outside of the rankings, and I feel like there’s a ranking for a reason. It really shows who’s the top five in the division.

Lee concluded the interview by saying:

“So, I think that there’s a good chance that he’s going to win that fight, and then I’d like to see him fight anyone in the top five, which would definitely give him a shot at the title.”

Check out Izagakhmaev's performance on his ONE debut below:

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Christian Lee not making his move yet, but ready for any deserving challenger

Christian Lee is in observation mode after making quick work of Ok Rae Yoon at ONE 160 last month. As the pieces move within the stacked lightweight division, Lee told ONE Championship that he’s ready to fight any opponent deserving of a world title opportunity.

“This lightweight division is without a doubt the most stacked division across every organization. So I know there’s going to be another hungry contender looking to get a shot, and whoever that may be, I'm going to be ready for them.”

Christian Lee isn’t short of options as top competitors on his radar include Dagi Arslanaliev, Timofey Nastyukhin and Saygid Izagakhmaev. It’s only a matter of time before 'The Warrior' makes his return to the grand stage.