‘The Best Moment Of My Career’ – Christian Lee Ecstatic To Reclaim Lightweight Belt
Christian Lee took back the ONE Lightweight World Title in sensational fashion on Friday, and nothing could be sweeter for the Singaporean-American superstar.
After a hotly debated decision loss to Ok Rae Yoon in their first encounter 11 months ago, “The Warrior” knocked out his rival in the second round of their main event clash at ONE 160.
This time, it was complete domination from start to finish, and the occasion was incredibly satisfying for the United MMA and Evolve MMA representative.
Lee said afterward:
“This has got to be the best moment in my career. I’ve got my family with me. I’ve got them in my corner. I’ve got my teammates with me, my baby, and my wife.
“[After] all the hard work I’ve put in – I’ve been training for almost a whole year straight for this fight – to [win] in an impressive fashion, to get a knockout over a tough opponent like Ok Rae Yoon, this has got to be the best win for me.”
Lee strongly disagreed with the judges after losing his five-round war with Ok last year, but he believes the score has been settled after dispatching the South Korean in one-sided fashion.
In fact, the 25-year-old doesn’t have a trilogy match on his mind and thinks their rivalry is officially over.
“The Warrior” explained:
“Absolutely [I feel like justice has been done]. This rematch was a continuation of our first fight. To me, the start of round one was the continuation, it was round six. So the only way this could have ended for good is to get a finish.
“So if Ok [finished] me, there would be no need for a rematch. For me, finishing Ok the way I did, there’s no need for a rematch because I feel that I won the first time. And I made it sure that I won the second time. So this is it.”
Christian Lee Convinced He’s The World’s Best Lightweight
Christian Lee is back atop ONE’s lightweight MMA throne, and he doesn’t think anybody on the planet could knock him off right now.
His punishing victory over Ok Rae Yoon showed he’s reached a new level following a tough setback last year. And now that he’s earned a big slice of redemption, he’s eager to further cement his status.
Lee said:
“Right now, today, I’m the best version of myself that I’ve ever been. I just claimed my title back. And I feel that I’m the best lightweight fighter in the world, across any organization. So I would love to put that out there, and I’d love to prove it.”
There are plenty of seasoned campaigners and rising stars in ONE’s lightweight ranks, and “The Warrior” knows he will face an elite challenger when he returns to the Circle.
One man he’ll be watching closely is surging Russian and #5-ranked contender Saygid Izagakhmaev, who is scheduled to fight Chinese star Zhang Lipeng at ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai on September 29.
At the same time, Lee will be keeping his options open while waiting for his next challenger to truly separate themselves from the pack.
He added:
“This lightweight division is without a doubt the most stacked division across every organization. So I know there’s going to be another hungry contender looking to get a shot, and whoever that may be, I’m going to be ready for them.
“I’ve seen [Saygid]. He’s got one good fight in ONE so far (a submission of James Nakashima). He’s got another tough fight ahead of him. So I think it only makes sense to work with our rankings. See who’s in the top five and let them sort it out. So let’s have a few of the top-five contenders fight their way up to the top, and then I’ll take whoever’s next there.”
