5 possible opponents for Ok Rae Yoon’s first title defense

#4. Ok Rae Yoon vs. Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev

Nicknamed ‘Dagi,’ Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev is often considered the boogeyman of the ONE lightweight division. There are a lot of reasons why he’s arguably the most feared fighter at lightweight.

After making his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2014, Arslanaliev quickly climbed the ranks, ripping through eight of his first nine opponents. Arslanaliev has dispatched his foes effortlessly within the first five minutes of every fight. The only exceptions have been Japanese fighter Tetsuya Yamada, whom he finished in the third, and a disqualification loss to Georgi Stoyanov for illegal technical ground kicks.

The 26-year-old is very well-rounded and can fight both standing and on the ground. This presents an intriguing stylistic matchup for Ok Rae Yoon, who has proven himself against the toughest strikers and grapplers throughout his seven-year career.

Arslanaliev is a fast starter and will bring the fight right to Ok Rae Yoon’s grill if he doesn’t sense danger. However, Rae Yoon is a master at pulling off impossible victories. To the South Korean, it doesn’t matter how dangerous Arslanaliev is.

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#3. Zhang Lipeng

Former The Ultimate Fighter: China winner, ‘The Warrior’ Zhang Lipeng, is relatively new to ONE Championship. But he’s already impressed in his short time in the circle thus far.

Zhang made his ONE Championship debut last August, going the distance with two-time former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard ‘Landslide’ Folayang to earn a hard-fought unanimous decision victory. In that fight, Zhang showcased exceptional wrestling and grappling ability, controlling Folayang for the majority of their three-round contest.

Folayang and Ok Rae Yoon share a similar style, so fans have an inkling of how a battle between Zhang and Ok Rae Yoon would look. Furthermore, Zhang has over a decade of experience in the sport, which would undoubtedly work to his advantage.

This fight could come down to who enters with a more intelligent game plan.