Christian Lee Claims The ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship
Christian “The Warrior” Lee has a shiny new belt to add to his growing collection after a stellar performance against Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev at the historic ONE: CENTURY PART I.
Stepping into the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship Final on just 10 days’ notice, “The Warrior” proved his worth as he dominated the Turkish phenom to earn a unanimous decision inside the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, 13 October.
The action was fast and furious in the first round as Arslanaliev pushed the pace and stalked the ONE Lightweight World Champion around the Circle in an effort to try and connect with solid strikes. However, Lee showed he was anything but overwhelmed, as he closed the distance and connected with some punches of his own.
“Dagi” appeared to carry more power in his strikes and briefly dropped Lee with a clipping right uppercut. He then followed up with a takedown, but the Singaporean rallied well. With a minute to go in the round, he took the Turkish heavy hitter to the canvas, got full mount, and rained down blows on the 24-year-old.
In round two, Lee’s relentless pressure tired Arslanaliev. The reigning World Champion mounted the Azerbaijan No-Gi Grappling Champion, but “Dagi” escaped as the Evolve athlete went for an armbar.
Lee mounted the Turkish phenom again, but this time the man from Istanbul was too exhausted to escape and “The Warrior” finished the round on top.
“Dagi” attempted to turn the tide of the contest in round three with heavy punches, but the World Champion took the shots well and returned to his grapple-first game plan. Lee took the Turkish phenom to the mat and continued to dominate him.
Though Arslanaliev got back up swinging, the 21-year-old Singaporean took him down and mounted him for a fourth time. Lee transitioned to the Turk’s back and landed repeated blows to the body of the Istanbul native until the final bell sounded.
It was a dominant way to end the contest for the young Singaporean.
The win moved his record to 13-3-0, and by walking away with the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship Title, he cemented his legacy as the best lightweight in The Home Of Martial Arts.
