At ONE Fight Night 26 this past weekend, Christian Lee returned to action for the first time in two years to defend the ONE Lightweight MMA Championship against Alibeg Rasulov.
Unfortunately, the action ended prematurely, and the bout was deemed a no contest, after an accidental eye poke form “The Warrior.”
Lee was able to reflect on the match and his performance following the action, and he was more pleased to just to be doing what he loves again than frustrated at the result.
“It felt great to be back in action. It was almost two years since I was last in there, and I felt good moving around in the ring. I was just hoping that the fight could have continued so I could have pushed for a finish,” he confessed to ONE.
Anytime an athlete returns from a lengthy layoff, the term ring rust gets thrown around. For Lee, he was aware that could be a concern from his fans.
In what he got to show during the truncated bout, the two-division titleholder feels he performed up to par and didn’t feel any effects of being out of action for two years.
“I don’t think I felt any ring rust. I do feel like I could have performed better, which I always do after every fight. But I do feel I was 100 percent on track to getting the finish there,” Lee said.
The Prodigy Training Center star’s activity shined in the first round, with strong strikes and consistent pressure that put Rasulov on his back foot.
While the undefeated Turk succeeded in making it a slugfest in the second round, Lee still felt like he was managing the match well and was on his way to victory.
“I feel like I was winning the fight. I feel like I was landing the bigger shots. I was pushing forward while controlling the action in the ring. I feel like I was on track to wearing him down and taking him out,” he stated.
The indecisive result is not what either athlete wanted, and Lee is adamant he wants a definitive conclusion.
Whether it happens next or not, he envisions the two will tussle in the future to find out who is the better man.
“I would definitely be open to a rematch against Rasulov. For me, I’m not happy going away from a fight without getting a clear, decisive win – getting a finish,” Lee admitted.
“So, I’m sure that we’ll face each other again in the future. I’m not sure what the immediate plans are going to be. But yeah, if they offer me that match again, I’m going to take it so I can finish it.”
While a rematch with Rasulov is clearly one of the top choices, it doesn’t mean that it is a guarantee.
As king of ONE’s lightweight and welterweight divisions, Lee has to keep his eye on a laundry list of talent in the promotion. Now that he’s back, the Singaporean-American wants to keep his mind open to everything heading into 2025.
“Other than Rasulov, there are a lot of other great fighters out here in ONE Championship. So we’ll see what ONE Championship’s plans are for me, but I’ll be ready to defend the lightweight or welterweight belts in the future,” Lee said.