“Both have serious gaps” - Dagi Arslanaliev sees flaws in Ok Rae Yoon and Christian Lee, wants winner

Dagi Arslanaliev appears to be the next man in line for a ONE lightweight world title opportunity once Christian Lee and Ok Rae Yoon settle their rivalry in the ONE 160 main event on August 26. The ONE lightweight titleholder Ok Rae Yoon will run it back with Lee after his controversial unanimous decision victory at ONE: Revolution. Many felt that Christian Lee was the actual victor that September night.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Dagi Arslanaliev discussed the impending rematch and his desire to face the winner. He said:

“I want to fight the winner. Their styles are interesting, but both have serious gaps. Christian can push forward, he is good at putting on pressure, executing aggressive assaults, but he is not perfect too – I made him suffer quite a bit during our bout.” [sic]

In October 2019, Dagi Arslanaliev suffered only the second loss of his career against Lee, the first being a disqualification in 2017. Lee bested the Turkish monster, shocking fans around the world. While Dagi had plenty of his own highlights in the three-round war, it was Lee who was able to implement his game plan, dominating the No.2- ranked contender for much of the 15-minute long affair.

While the title opportunity is important to Dagi Arslanaliev, the Turk would prefer to run it back with Christian Lee and avenge the one loss that still haunts him.

Some highlights of Arslanaliev:

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Before Dagi Arslanaliev gets his shot, could we see a Christian Lee vs. Ok Rae Yoon trilogy?

When Christian Lee challenges Ok Rae Yoon on August 26, he will be intent on finishing the current champion to leave no doubt as to who the true lightweight king is. But what happens if Lee succeeds? Will we see a trilogy bout between the two?

If Christian Lee scores a win to recapture the lightweight world title, Ok could get an immediate rematch in the same fashion as Lee. However, the circumstances of the win for Lee would determine the need for a trilogy bout.

Should Lee put a definitive end to the contest with a knockout blow or a submission, ONE will likely move on from this rivalry. Given the controversy surrounding their first outing, any decision win could very well result in a trilogy bout being served up. On the flip side, if Ok Rae Yoon conjures up his own stoppage victory, that will answer many questions fans have had for nearly a year.

A trilogy is certainly possible under very specific circumstances and you can expect both competitors to come out looking for the finish.