“He knows who he hasn’t beaten” - Saygid Izagakhmaev says Christian Lee knows who’s coming for him

Saygid Izagakhmaev directly put Christian Lee on notice saying he’s coming for him next.

The Eagles MMA prospect returns to the foray for the third time this year to square off with No.5-ranked contender, ‘Tobikan Judan’ Shinya Aoki at ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong, for a potential shot at the world title.

With two fights in, Izagakhmaev knows that Christian Lee’s time on the throne is ticking. He made his intentions known last September against Zhang Lipeng at ONE 161.

While he was battering the Chinese MMA veteran from the top position, he told his opponent under his breath, “I’ll smash you, bro, I’m the next champion. Lightweight of ONE okay?”

Since Christian Lee cleaned out the entire lightweight division, the next logical choice for him is to fight someone he hasn’t defeated yet.

Izagakhmaev told ONE Championship:

“If I win the upcoming fight – and I’ll win it, Inshallah – I will challenge the champion of our division. Christian Lee has beaten everybody [else], but he knows who he hasn’t beaten.”

As Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé, the 28-year-old stalwart has been virtually unstoppable. Before making his smashing ONE debut at ONE: Heavy Hitters last January, Izagakhmaev had accumulated an impressive record of five wins and one loss competing under one of Russia’s largest promotions in the country, AMC Fight.

Hailed as the best lightweight in Eagles MMA by legendary coach and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Saygid Izagakhmaev seems to be built for world championship glory.

---

Saygid Izagakhmaev has a more dynamic fighting style than fans believe

According to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Saygid Izagakhmaev has the skills he needs to dominate the ONE lightweight division at ONE Championship.

The two athletes are long-time friends, having received the same training together under Khabib’s father since their teenage years.

Although the Russian hard-hitter shares a similar fighting style to Khabib's, the Eagles MMA founder said his protégé adds a more dynamic component to his game.

Nurmagomedov told ONE Championship:

“We have a lot of similar things but he’s a little bit taller than me. And he has good Thai boxing, and good technique. His elbows, his knees, he’s very good on this. Of course we have a similar base [grappling] but he’s a little bit different than me.”

Catch the interview below at the 1:35 mark: