"There’s a clear contender" - Christian Lee not ruling out welterweight return after unfortunate ending versus Alibeg Rasulov

Christian Lee may not have gotten the result he wanted against Alibeg Rasulov at ONE Fight Night 26 on Prime Video last weekend. But the 26-year-old double champ says he is ready to move on to defend his other gold, should the opportunity arise.

Lee returned to action more than two years since his last fight, going to hell and back with Rasulov in a fight that ended in controversy. An accidental eye poke halted matters abruptly in the second round of their ONE lightweight MMA world title fight, resulting in a No Contest.

Speaking to the media at the ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video official post-fight interviews, Lee says he was open to a rematch with Rasulov but also wants to defend his welterweight gold, which he believes has produced a clear challenger.

'The Warrior' said:

"Other than Rasulov, there are a lot of other great fighters out here in ONE Championship and you know, I think in the welterweight division, there’s a clear contender who’s in line for the shot. So we’ll see what ONE Championship’s plans are for me but I’ll be ready to defend the lightweight or welterweight belt in the future."

That clear challenger is likely former divisional king Zebaztian Kadestam, who took out Croatian sensation Roberto Soldic in May of last year.

ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video was broadcast live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand this past Saturday, Dec. 7. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Christian Lee says Alibeg Rasulov eye poke was completely accidental: "That's not how I wanted the fight to go"

Two-division king Christian Lee says he didn't mean to poke Alibeg Rasulov in the eye, which caused a premature halt to their lightweight MMA world title tilt at ONE Fight Night 26 on Prime Video.

Speaking to veteran ONE Championship broadcast analyst Mitch 'The Dragon' Chilson after the bout, Lee said:

"Well, first off, thank you Thailand! Thank you everyone who came out for this fight I appreciate the support. Second, to my opponent, very tough. I'm sorry that about the eye poke, it was a completely unintentional. That's not how I wanted the fight to go."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Christian Lee's next match.