Ok Rae Yoon says he has the right to fight for interim lightweight belt as the division’s top contender

Former ONE lightweight world champion Ok Rae Yoon believes he deserves to be in the interim title fight expected to go down later this year.

Ok Rae Yoon shocked the world in 2021, scoring a unanimous decision against Christian Lee to capture the lightweight world title at ONE: Revolution. Though the win came with a moderate controversy, the South Korean standout was determined to prove that he belongs at the top of one of the promotion’s most stacked divisions.

Ok returned to the Circle just under a year later for a rematch with ‘The Warrior’ at ONE 160. However, he came up short that night, returning the title back to Lee following a TKO, just 60 seconds into the second round. Now, Christian Lee is currently sidelined following the tragic passing of his little sister and MMA prospect, Victoria Lee, leading the promotion to institute an interim lightweight title.

Speaking with the promotion, Ok Rae Yoon believes he should be part of the yet-to-be-determined interim title fight considering his position as the No. 1 ranked contender in the division.

“If there is an interim title bout before [Christian Lee trilogy] I think it’s right for me to do it, and it doesn’t matter who the next is,” Ok said.

With an impressive 17-4 record, Ok Rae Yoon has quickly established himself as one of the lightweight division’s most formidable foes. He currently stands at 4-1 inside the Circle, with a lone loss coming against Christian Lee in their 2022 rematch. Ok also holds impressive wins over former world champions, including Marat Gafurov and Eddie Alvarez.

Ok retained his spot as the lightweight division’s top contender with a win over Lowen Tynanes in March at ONE Fight Night 10. Next, he’ll look to score another opportunity at capturing 26 pounds of interim gold before landing a potential trilogy bout with ‘The Warrior’ next year.