Christian Lee will grace ONE Championship‘s Circle for the first time in nearly two years. The two-division World Champion has been absent since winning the welterweight crown in November 2022. On Friday, November 8, “The Warrior” returns to defend his ONE Lightweight MMA World Championship against Alibeg Rasulov at ONE 169: Atlanta.
A winner in eight of his last nine outings, Lee bolted to the top of the MMA with finish after finish. He avenged his lone loss to Ok Rae Yoon in dominant fashion with a second-round TKO before challenging and defeating Kiamrian Abbasov for the ONE Welterweight MMA World Title. Now, he is back to prove he is still at the top of his game.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C9U3eq4sTKp/
Rasulov earned the title shot in his ONE debut at ONE Fight Night 23. The Turkey-based athlete defeated Ok by unanimous decision in the evening’s main event. Although fresh on the scene, the 31-year-old proved to compete against the division’s elite and put Lee on notice.
The title tilt marks the third World Championship match on the ONE 169: Atlanta lineup. Triple-division World Champion Anatoly Malykhin puts the heavyweight title on the line against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane, and ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai completes his trilogy with Jo Nattawut. ONE 169’s triple-title lineup is already making it a must-see event.
Lee’s return will also mark the first time he has competed in the United States as a professional. Making his home in Hawaii, Lee has spent his career competing in Asia. He finally gets a chance to show the domestic audience why he is considered among the pound-for-pound best in the world.
ONE 169: Atlanta takes place at the State Farm Arena on Friday, November 8. The event airs on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
