ONE Fight Night 23: Alibeg Rasulov dissects Ok Rae Yoon’s strengths ahead of clash for gold on July 5

ONE Championship newcomer Alibeg Rasulov knows that he's in for a very tough test when he makes his promotional debut against former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Ok Rae Yoon.

Stepping inside the Circle for the first time with an impressive 14-0 record, Rasulov will test his skills on martial arts' biggest global stage this Friday night, July 5, when he meets the South Korean star at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video.

Speaking with the promotion ahead of his highly anticipated premiere, Alibeg Rasulov offered a breakdown of the things he believes make Ok Rae Yoon an especially tough first outing.

"His stand-up and his gas tank," Rasulov told ONE Championship. "Also, his experience, he has already fought against experienced opponents. And he has experience of five-round fights."

Ok Rae Yoon is, of course, a former ONE world champion, having defeated Christian Lee to take home the lightweight MMA crown at ONE: Revolution in Sept. 2021.

Ok handed the belt back to 'The Warrior' a year later, but a strong showing against Rasulov could bag the South Korean a long-awaited trilogy fight as the interim crown will be on the line inside the Mecca of Muay Thai this Friday.

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Ok Rae Yoon determined to score Christian Lee trilogy fight with a win over Alibeg Rasulov

Ok's victory over Christian Lee to capture his first 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold is considered by many to be one of the biggest upsets in ONE history — not to mention one of the most controversial decisions.

That ultimately led to their immediate rematch at ONE 160. On that night, Lee made sure the judges stayed out of things, finishing Ok Rae Yoon in the second round with a vicious knockout.

Despite the emphatic end to their sequel scrap, Ok and Lee are still 1-1, leaving a trilogy fight on the table that the South Korean desperately wants to feast on.

"I really, really want to fight Christian Lee for a third time before I retire. I believe I must fight him before I call it a day. Although our last fight ended in a complete defeat for me, we're still 1-1."

But first, he'll have to get through a very dangerous, unbeaten, and hungry debutant in Alibeg Rasulov.

ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 23 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, July 5.