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Saygid Izagakhmaev isn’t underestimating Christian Lee ahead of a potential ONE lightweight championship fight.
Lee and Izagakhmaev seem to be on a collision course after both fighters won on the same weekend. ‘The Warrior’ became a two-division world champion with a win against former welterweight king Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4. The next day, Izagakhmaev demolished Shinya Aoki at ONE 163 with a first-round finish.
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The ONE lightweight king has been keeping an eye on Izagakhmaev, and the stars seem to be aligning. During his ONE 163 post-fight media interview, the Russian had this to say when asked about Lee:
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“Christian Lee, I mean, obviously I’m not underestimating him. He’s a great champion, and he’s a champion of two divisions for a reason. But I’m here to be a champion. I’m here to get this belt. When I was signed, my first fight was against one of the best fighters in the division. So I know what my capabilities are, and I know that I can be a champion.”
Since debuting with ONE in January, Izagakhmaev has dominated all three of his fights in the promotion. The Russian is currently the No.4-ranked lightweight, but he’s the only ranked fighter to beat another top-five opponent in his last fight.
Watch Saygid Izagakhmaev's ONE 163 post-fight media interview below:
Saygid Izagakhmaev reacts to Christian Lee’s win against Kiamrian Abbasov
Christian Lee’s win against Kiamrian Abbasov revealed a lot about the newly-crowned two-division world champion. ‘The Warrior’ had to overcome a lot of adversity but ultimately made ONE Championship history.
Although Saygid Izagakhmaev demolished his last three opponents, he’s not underestimating Lee's talent. During the ONE 163 post-fight media interview, the Russian had this to say when asked about the lightweight champion’s performance against Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4:
“What I would say is that he won very tactically. I was supporting Kiamrian, we are friends, actually. But yeah, he got the belt. He can relax now, and let’s see.”
Izagakhmaev seems destined to hold ONE gold, but taking out Lee is a tough mountain to climb. ‘The Warrior’ has only lost once since 2018, and he avenged the loss against Ok Rae Yoon a year later. With that said, training with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev gives the 28-year-old Russian the potential to take out every ONE lightweight available.
