"What a fight it was" - Alibeg Rasulov honored to show his mettle in grueling five-round win over Ok Rae Yoon

Alibeg Rasulov kicked off his ONE Championship account this past weekend with a huge debut in the lightweight MMA division. The Turkish competitor came into the promotion with an undefeated record and the opportunity to announce himself on the global stage.

Unfortunately, due to failing his hydration test, the opportunity that was available to him at ONE Fight Night 23 was not quite as massive.

Rasulov was unable to leave Lumpinee Stadium as the interim champion though the belt was on the line for his opponent, the former champion, Ok Rae Yoon.

Unsurprisingly, it was Rasulov's grappling that was his biggest asset in this fight as he was able to take away some of his opponent's striking game to get his hand raised at the end of the five-round affair.

The new arrival gave his immediate thoughts on the fight during his post-fight interview inside the ring:

"First of all, I want to say thank you to ONE Championship. What a chance for me. It's my first fight in ONE Championship and what a fight it was."

Alibeg Rasulov can build from here

Alibeg Rasulov was seemingly one passed hydration test away from a flawless start to life in ONE Championship.

Whilst it will sting to have come away with the win without getting his hands on the interim title, he was still able to pick up the victory against one of the top names in the lightweight division.

Whether he is the champion or not, it seems likely that he will now be the next contender in line for a shot at the returning Christian Lee.

The only box that Rasulov may still need to check off is the pre-fight processes in order to ensure that he arrives inside the Circle with no prior complications.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 23 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.