The inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship match between Jackie Buntan and Anissa Meksen that was scheduled for the main event of ONE Fight Night 23 has been postponed. Buntan withdrew due to injury, opening up the headliner slot for the Friday, July 5, show.
Gold will still be on the line at the top of the thrilling show, Ok Rae Yoon and Alibeg Rasulov will meet to contest the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Championship in a five-round battle.
The South Korean has a chance to secure gold once more in the division and set up a trilogy with divisional king Christian Lee upon his return, and there’s positive signs he can do just that.
Ok made an impactful ONE Championship debut in 2021 against Marat Gafurov, and he returned a week later to upend MMA icon Eddie Alvarez. Those high-profile wins earned him a shot at Lee and the lightweight MMA crown.
The pair met at ONE: REVOLUTION in Ausgust 2021, and the Team MAD standout shocked the world by besting “The Warrior” over five round to take the title.
After dropping it to Lee in their rematch a year later, Ok took a short break from action. He then returned at ONE’s U.S. debut show ONE Fight Night 10 last May and took a unanimous decision win over Lowen Tynanes to reestablish himself at the top of the division.
With a record of 17-4 and a laundry list of world-class opponents he’s beaten to his name, Ok cannot be ignored when it comes to the lightweight MMA title conversation.
But his upcoming foe will be out to make sure that he’s included in those talks right from the start of his ONE Championship tenure.
Rasulov enters the promotion with an unbeaten record of 13-0, but jumping up to the global stage will mark the biggest challenge of his career.
With interim gold on the line, the Turkish star will have to handle the pressure perfectly to make an instant impact. But the 10 finishes he’s amassed en route to ONE show that Rasulov knows how to work through obstacles to get the win.
The lightweight division will be put on notice when these two take to the stage at ONE Fight Night 23, and Christian Lee will be watching with anticipation – much like the rest of the world.
ONE Fight Night 23 airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Friday, July 5. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.