Dagi Arslanaliev believes rematch between Ok Rae Yoon and Christian Lee is warranted

Top ONE Championship lightweight fighter Dagi Arslanaliev believes the lightweight world title rematch between Ok Rae Yoon and Christian Lee is warranted.

After a razor-close fight between Yoon and Lee, the South Korean striker won via unanimous decision over Lee for the lightweight belt. What made it “controversial” in nature is that Lee was convinced he had done enough to retain his belt.

In the post-fight interview, Lee protested the outcome and made a compelling argument against the decision, splitting fans on who the legitimate lightweight king should be. However, Dagi Arslanaliev wasn’t convinced.

Dagi told ONE Championship:

“I know that many people think it was a controversial fight, but I always agree with the judges’ decision. If both athletes think the situation is not clear, maybe they need to have [the] rematch and put all chatter to rest.”

The Dagestani-born wrestler has crossed paths with Christian Lee before and knows first hand how much it hurts to lose when you’re so close to the finish line. Arslanaliev was riding a 4-fight win streak before losing to Lee at the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship final in 2019.

Having no ill-will towards Lee and understanding that loss is part of the game, Dagi looks forward to watching his rematch to see which of the two competitors he’ll fight next for that lightweight belt.

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Rewatch Dagi Arslanaliev’s brutal knockout that earned him the No.2 contender spot

Dagi Arslanaliev is ready for a world-title shot. The No.2 lightweight contender wants an opportunity to fight for the gold belt following his latest knockout victory.

He defeated marauder Timofey Nastyukhin at ONE: Winter Warriors last December at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, in what was one of the most intense fights in the history of the promotion.

The victory over Nastyukin put him back into the race following the first decision loss of his MMA career over Christan Lee in the previous year. Dagi returned to the circle with a vengeance and an insatiable thirst for blood. Both fighters put on an aggressively action-packed performance with all the feels of a world championship title bout.

Despite Nastyukin’s best efforts to defend Dagi’s insane pace and tireless output, the Russian sensation was ultimately defeated in the third round with a brutal knockout.

In the post-fight interview, when Dagi was asked if he believed he was ready for a world title shot with either Ok Rae Yoon or Christian Lee, the 27 year-old warrior said:

“Whoever wins that fight I’m ready. Obviously, I'm here to fight the best and this is the reason why I'm here.”