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Christian Lee notched another career milestone by becoming a two-division world champion at ONE on Prime Video 4 last week. ‘The Warrior’ is now the proud owner of both the lightweight and welterweight gold straps following his sensational come-from-behind victory over Kiamrian Abbasov.
Despite the towering heights that he has already reached at such a young age, the 24-year-old superstar is far from done. Christian Lee wants to seek bigger challenges even if it means going after someone from outside the promotion.
For instance, the presence of UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium over the weekend was a pleasant surprise. The Dagestani was in town to corner his teammate Saygid Izagakhmaev, who easily dispatched former 170-pound world champion Shinya Aoki at ONE 163.
As expected, Lee and Makhachev both figured in some interesting back-and-forth about a hypothetical cross-promotion fight. While the Singaporean-American’s main objective is to defend his two world titles at the moment, he would also not rule out a blockbuster fight against Makhachev if given the opportunity.
Christian Lee shared during his ONE on Prime Video 4 post-fight interview:
“Right now, I'm the lightweight world champion and the welterweight world champion. I want to fight the best of the best. So whoever that may be, you know I spoke earlier about a potential crossover fight between UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. That's definitely an exciting fight. But we'll see where it goes. I'm keeping my options open and just whatever I can do to challenge myself.”
Watch the full interview below:
As massive as a Lee-Makhachev showdown would be, chances are a cross-promotion fight between the two world champions is just a pipe dream at the moment.
Good thing Lee has enough challengers from two divisions to keep him busy.
‘The Warrior’ has already shared his preference to drop back to 170 pounds and defend his throne.
For sure, Makhachev’s teammate, Izagakhmaev, will be waiting in the wings for his return.
Islam Makhachev says Christian Lee should worry about Saygid Izagakhmaev first
While Christian Lee would love to get his hands on Makhachev, the UFC fighter believes he’ll already have his hands full against Izagakhmaev when their paths eventually cross.
In a Twitter post, the Dagestani sent this ominous warning to the ONE dual world champion.
“Ha! You better focus on your next contender Saygid Izagakhmaev, and we will see how good you are”
After three sensational performances inside the circle, Izagakhmaev is considered by many as the boogeyman of the lightweight division. He introduced himself big time to the ONE audience by submitting James Nakashima in his debut and then dominating a veteran like Zhang Lipeng.
That frightening KO of Aoki in his most recent match left a huge statement. Izagakhmaev is indeed coming for the lightweight throne.
