Christian Lee Thrills With Submission Win Over Keanu Subba
The highly-anticipated featherweight showdown between young ONE Championship prospects Christian Lee of Singapore, and Keanu Subba of Malaysia, reached an epic conclusion on Friday, 18 August at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The two young warriors locked horns in a three-round bout on the preliminary card of ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS, the promotion’s second event in Malaysia this year. The explosive matchup certainly did not disappoint, as it featured all-out action from start to epic finish.
In the end, it was the 19-year-old Lee who took home the victory via armbar submission. After an intense striking and grappling exchange, referee Olivier Coste waved the bout off at 1:11 of the third and final round.
As soon as the opening bell sounded, Lee charged right at Subba, looking to test his opponent’s stand-up. Subba would oblige, tagging Lee with pinpoint combinations as the two traded huge strikes at the center of the ONE Championship cage.
It was an amazing atmosphere, as the crowd drowned out the arena with loud cheers in support of their hometown hero, Subba. The first round concluded with Subba scoring major points, as he outworked Lee on the feet, and even scored significant damage with ground and pound from top position.
Action picked up intensely in the second round, as Lee came out of his corner with a sense of urgency. The Singaporean stormed Subba, landing a huge right hook on the temple that staggered the young Malaysian. On the hunt for the finish, Lee chased Subba across the cage.
Towards the end of the round, Lee caught Subba in a deep anaconda choke that nearly finished his opponent. Subba was fortunate to be saved by the bell, but soon it would not have mattered.
Lee pretty much had an idea of what he needed to do in the third stanza, and that was to take Subba back to the ground. Sensing his opponent fading under the lights, Lee took Subba back down to the mat, this time locking in a triangle choke from top position.
Subba, who proved his mettle by refusing to tap out, was caught in a precarious position. Lee adjusted by transitioning into an armbar, and that ultimately sealed the deal.
It was a rousing affair from the beginning, as both competitors looked to showcase their complete breadth of combat skills to the delight of a capacity crowd. With the victory, Lee improves his record to 7-1 and moves further up the featherweight ladder, while Subba drops to 5-3.
