“He’s the only guy I haven’t fought yet” - Christian Lee open to fighting Saygid Izagakhmaev

Christian Lee is fresh off of reclaiming his lightweight throne at ONE 160 and is already looking down the division for his next top contender. 'The Warrior' recently took back his ONE lightweight world title with an authoritative TKO win.

After stopping former lightweight champion Ok Rae Yoon, the Singaporean-American fighter is focused on defending his world title. According to the 24-year-old, the Russian Saygid Izagakhmaev, who is also a protégé of former UFC lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov, could be next in line.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, Christian Lee explained what he sees in the Russian contender:

"Right now, other than the guy I’m seeing at No.5, if we’re looking at the lightweight rankings, Saygid, he’s the only guy I haven’t fought yet but he’s only got one fight in ONE Championship so far. He’s got a good record outside of ONE but I’d like to see him put together a few good wins especially against guys in the rankings, in the top five, before he gets a title shot."

However, Lee is open to fighting anyone, not just Izagakhmaev:

"So for now I’m gonna be keeping a close eye on the lightweight division and seeing how that shakes itself out and then you know I’m looking forward to keeping my options open."

See Christian Lee's interview with SCMP MMA below:

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Christian Lee "looking forward" to fighting Saygid Izagakhmaev

This is not the first time the ONE lightweight world champion has called for a fight with Saygid Izagakhmaev. The 28-year-old Russian is on a three-fight win streak and won his most recent fight by way of submission in round two. Overall, he has a 20-2 record in his professional MMA career.

The Nurmagomedov-coached fighter has been on Lee's radar since before he entered ONE Championship. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, 'The Warrior' said:

"I think he's got everything it takes to be the next biggest test. He's a strong wrestler from Russia. And, you know, he's got a good tank behind him. I think he's got a good style, it would be a very exciting fight for everybody. And yeah, I'd be looking forward to that match if it ever happens."

Christian Lee vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev for the ONE lightweight world championship may be a fight that combat sports fans will want to look out for in the near future.

Izagakhmaev's next fight will be at ONE on Prime Video 2 booked for September 30. The Russian is currently booked to fight China's Zhang Lipeng. Lipeng will enter this bout as the far more experienced fighter.