ONE Championship News Roundup: Itsuki Hirata sees world title run in the future, Christian Lee warns Kiamrian Abbasov, Khabib Nurmagomedov predicts Saygid Izagakhmaev will be the world’s best

Welcome to today's edition of the daily Sportskeeda ONE Championship News Roundup, where we present the promotion's most important stories.

Today, we discuss Itsuki Hirata’s prediction of becoming a world champion someday, Christian Lee telling Kiamrian Abbasov that he’s at a different level than previous challengers, and Khabib Nurmagomedov's belief that Saygid Izagakhmaev will be the top fighter in the world.

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#3. “I will become the champion” - Itsuki Hirata sees herself ruling the atomweight division soon

Itsuki Hirata has been tearing up in ONE Championship’s women's atomweight division. With that in mind, the Japanese star believes that a world title reign isn’t far on the horizon.

The 23-year-old will look to chalk up her sixth win in the promotion when she faces Ham Seo Hee at ONE 163 this Saturday, November 19, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Hirata’s last match against China’s Lin Heqin saw her utilize an improved striking game to capture a dominant unanimous decision win at ONE on Prime Video 1 this past August in Singapore.

Though she’s outside of the women’s atomweight top five, that didn’t stop Hirata from predicting a world title run in the near future.

Hirata, in an interview with MMA Sucka, said:

“I believe I will become the champion, like Angela Lee.”

‘Android 18’ had one of the best starts in the division’s history when she went 4-0 in her first four fights in ONE Championship. A win over Ham could even see her challenge Lee for the ONE women's atomweight world championship.

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#2. “I’m a different fighter” - Christian Lee says Kiamrian Abbasov has yet to face a challenger of his caliber

Christian Lee has long established himself as arguably the greatest lightweight in ONE Championship history, but his next fight might just be the toughest he’s had in his career.

The reigning ONE lightweight world champion will move up a division and challenge Kiamrian Abbasov for the ONE welterweight world title in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4 this Friday, November 18, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Abbasov is one of the best fighters, pound-for-pound, in ONE Championship and has held welterweight gold since October 2019 when he beat Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE: Dawn of Valor for the belt.

Lee, though, is unperturbed and is more than ready to take Abbasov head-on.

In the promo for ONE on Prime Video, the lightweight king said:

“I’m a different fighter than anyone he’s faced so far. I’m looking to expose his weaknesses and try to find a hole in his game that no one else has yet.”

Lee, on top of his two reigns with the ONE lightweight world title, owns a multitude of records in ONE Championship. The Singaporean-American star has the most wins (16), most finishes (15), and most knockouts (11) in the organization.

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#1. “I have a lot of faith in him” – Khabib Nurmagomedov says protege Saygid Izagakhmaev will soon be the "best in the world”

Russian legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is often considered one of the best fighters during his prime. He believes that his student Saygid Izagakhmaev will soon get the same distinction in the future.

Izagakhmaev, who’s trained under Nurmagomedov, will have his toughest challenge yet when he takes on Japanese legend Shinya Aoki at ONE 163 this Saturday, November 19, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

While the Aoki fight is only Izagakhmaev’s third fight in ONE Championship, it’s already seen as the litmus test for the No.4-ranked lightweight contender.

Nurmagomedov, a former UFC lightweight world champion, said in an interview with ONE Championship that Izagakhmaev will reach the heights he once had during his fighting career.

“He’s getting physically stronger and stronger. He’s getting more and more experienced from fight to fight and soon, he’s going to be the best – not only in our team, but in the world. I have a lot of faith in him.”

Izagakhmaev is 2-0 in ONE Championship and a win over Aoki, a former ONE lightweight world champion, could push him for a world title shot in the foreseeable future.