“They just put on 15 lbs of mass” - Christian Lee welterweight opponents no different to lightweight

Christian Lee (L) is eager to prove that Kiamrian Abbasov
Christian Lee (L) is eager to prove that Kiamrian Abbasov's (R) size advantage won't matter much in their world title fight | [Photo by ONE Championship]

Heading into the biggest challenge of his MMA career, ONE lightweight kingpin Christian Lee has remained adamant that size advantage does not determine the outcome of fights.

‘The Warrior’ will test this theory against reigning ONE welterweight world champion Kiamrian Abbasov in his bid to become a two-division world champion in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4 this Friday, November 18.

The super fight between the two kings of their respective divisions will air live on US Primetime via Prime Video and will be available for free for Amazon Prime Video subscribers.

Christian Lee, who began his career as a featherweight, is no stranger to fighting physically imposing guys over the years.

So much so that the Singaporean-American said that guys at 185-pounds won’t cause too much trouble for him, since he’s used to dealing with massive lightweights who practically walk around the same weight.

Lee explained in an interview with the MMA Superfan:

“In many ways, the guys at welterweight are the same competition as the guys at lightweight. They just put on 15 lbs of mass onto the guys at lightweight. Many of the fighters there, I know they consequently walk around in the welterweight division.”

Watch Christian Lee’s full statement below:

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It’s true that Lee has beaten several challengers who carried a lot of muscle mass during his incredible world title reign at 170 lbs. Contenders like Saygid Arslanaliev, Iuri Lapicus, and Timofey Nastyukhin all looked considerably bigger than Lee during their respective battles.

However, they have one thing in common since all of them tasted defeat at the hands of the United MMA and Evolve MMA star.

Then again, Abbasov poses a much greater challenge – both literally and figuratively – and we’ll if Lee can slay yet another monster in his bid for two-division supremacy.


Kiamrian Abbasov says Christian Lee will regret going up a weight class

Kiamrian Abbasov is usually a soft-spoken fighter, but it appears that Christian Lee’s bid to usurp his throne seems to have awakened something inside him.

‘Brazen’ has seemingly taken offense to the 24-year-old’s path to a welterweight world title shot, considering how his first fight at 185 lbs will be for the strap.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Abbasov sent this chilling warning to his opponent:

“When the cage is closed, neither media nor his family will help him. It will be only I and he with all his big problems because of his desire to move up to my division.”

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