Turkish sensation Alibeg Rasulov will get his opportunity to fight for the ONE Lightweight MMA world title at ONE:169 Atlanta against a returning Christian Lee.
Rasulov was due to fight for the interim crown at ONE Fight Night 23 but despite making weight and hydration tests he missed the allotted time slot, so could not gain gold when taking on former divisional champion Ok Rae Yoon – the man Lee won the title from.
On that night in Bangkok, Rasulov put on an impressive display to out-point his experienced opponent and remain undefeated in his MMA career.
That win over Ok was a career highlight for the 31-year-old who was making his promotional debut that night, and commanded the fight with strong stand up and impressive wrestling ability.
He immediately sought to call out Lee who has not been seen in ONE Championship action since November 2022 when he defeated Kiamrian Abbasov. Following the loss of his younger sister, Victoria, Lee decided to take an extended hiatus from the sport but is now ready to return and prove he is still number one in the lightweight class.
While Rasulov might be 14-0, he has not yet come up against someone of the calibre of Lee – who has won eight of his last nine outings – with seven TKO stoppages.
Hailing originally from Dagestan, Rasulov’s wrestling ability is there for all to see, and he will need this, along with his impressive striking game from inside the clinch is he is going to end the reign of The Warrior.
ONE 169: Atlanta is in the early hours of Saturday November 9 at the State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, fight fans in the region will be able to watch live on BeIN SPORTS.
