Opinion: Why Christian Lee will defeat Kiamrian Abbasov and become two-division world champ

Christian Lee is gunning for two-division supremacy when he takes on reigning ONE welterweight world champion Kiamrian ‘Brazen’ Abbasov this Friday for ONE Championship’s 185-pound strap.

The 24-year-old resident of Mililani, Hawaii is now in Singapore to meet his Kyrgyzstani foe in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on November 18th on US primetime. The event is free to viewers in the United States and Canada with an existing Prime Video subscription.

Heading into the contest, many question if Abbasov will be simply ‘too big’ for the Singaporean-American superstar who began his career competing at ONE Championship’s 155-pound featherweight limit.

After all, Christian’s older sister Angela failed in her own bid to capture women’s strawweight gold against China’s Xiong Jing Nan, in a fight where size and strength were a major factor in ‘The Panda’s’ victory.

‘The Warrior’ is confident he can capture his second belt in as many weight divisions and restore honor to the Lee family name. But how will he do it?

In recent interviews, Lee said he would not try to be bigger and stronger than Abbasov, despite heading into a new weight division with essentially much larger opponents. The 24-year-old believes his speed, superior fighting skill, and precision will be more than enough to pull off the seemingly impossible.

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#1. Christian Lee is a proven finisher

With 15 finishes out of 16 career wins, all under the ONE Championship banner, there is no greater finisher than that of ‘The Warrior’ Christian Lee. Every man he has stepped into the Circle with, sans Martin Nguyen, he has vanquished, all with an incredible showcase of blinding speed and a diverse striking repertoire.

Lee is at his best when he is aggressive, pushing the pace and initiating the action. Look no further than his electric performance against Ok Rae Yoon just months ago for proof. By all indications, ‘The Warrior’ is planning to do the same against Abbasov.

That’s not to say that Lee should take Abbasov lightly. ‘Brazen’ is himself dangerous in all aspects of the game. While his overall career finishing rate pales in comparison to the lightweight king’s, Abbasov has in fact finished most of his opponents in the Circle, with an impressive hit list that includes Agilan Thani, James Nakashima, and former world champion Zebaztian Kadestam.

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#2. Christian Lee must avoid fighting on the outside

While it may be dangerous to rush into battle against a bigger fighter in Abbasov, Christian Lee cannot be forced to fight an outside game with a strong welterweight like ‘Brazen'. Lee had difficulty with this in his first fight against Ok Rae Yoon, and he lost a close unanimous decision. Therefore, it would be wise for Lee to stick to what he does best, and that’s force the action.

Look for Christian Lee to put his speed and precision on display once more, bringing the fight to Abbasov, who will be the young warrior’s toughest test to date. Abbasov will put up a valiant effort to retain his golden strap, but will be unable to deal with the overwhelming amount of firepower thrown his way.

Lee has never been in a bad fight, and whatever fight he lost, it has been close. He’s learned from past mistakes and is ready to move forward with a victory that will cement him as one of the world’s best fighters across two different weight classes. It will be Lee’s finest performance yet.