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Christian Lee had the most brutal fight of his career against Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4.
Lee made history by becoming the fourth two-division MMA world champion in ONE, but it wasn’t easy. ‘The Warrior’ lived up to his nickname by surviving a brutal first round which featured Abbasov being seconds away from winning. The 24-year-old somehow made it to the second round and ended up winning by TKO in the fourth round. He made a celebratory Instagram post with the caption saying:
“Toughest fight of my life. All of the hours spent in the gym has led up to this moment right here. Highlight of my career. #DOUBLECHAMP”
‘The Warrior’ is now the lightweight and welterweight king. Lee fought twice in 2022 but might need to double his appearances in 2023 to keep both divisions moving. Luckily, the two-division world champion is looking to stay active and is already planning for what’s next.
Watch Christian Lee finish Kiamrian Abbasov below:
What’s next for Christian Lee?
Christian Lee has acquired a massive responsibility to not let the lightweight or welterweight divisions stall out. Since he fought at welterweight last, Lee will likely return to the lightweight division for his next fight. During an interview with SCMP MMA before becoming a two-division world champion, ‘The Warrior' had this to say about future title contender Saygid Izagakhmaev:
“I think that it’s most likely against one of the two new contenders. I think the match between Saygid and Shinya is going to be an important fight. I think if Saygid is able to win that match, I think he’s next in line for the world title.”
Lee’s comments were made before Izagakhmaev beat ranked lightweight Shinya Aoki with a first-round finish at ONE Championship 163. The Russian will likely be fighting ‘The Warrior’ for the title next time out.
Meanwhile, the future of the welterweight division is unclear. ONE Championship could give Kiamrian Abbasov an instant rematch or give a world title shot to the winner of Roberto Soldic vs Murad Ramazanov.
There’s a good chance the winner of their ONE on Prime Video 5 clash will be fighting for the welterweight crown next, considering the praise Chatri Sityodong has given Soldic and Ramazanov.
