“I plan on defending both belts” - Christian Lee on his future after Kiamrian Abbasov fight

Christian Lee has revealed his plan to defend both world titles simultaneously if he beats Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4.

‘The Warrior’ is looking to become the fourth two-division MMA world champion in ONE Championship history. He will join Martin Nguyen, Aung La N Sang, and Reinier De Ridder on the list if he achieves it.

Double champ status certainly solidifies your legacy. However, holding two world titles leaves a lot of responsibility on the champion to keep the divisions from stalling out. During an interview with SCMP MMA, Christian Lee had this to say about his plans to defend both world titles:

“If I win the belt, when I win the belt, which I'm planning on, I plan on staying active in both divisions. I plan on defending both belts. My next step after this fight is to go back to lightweight and defend the belt there.”

Before worrying about defending the belts, Lee has a formidable opponent waiting. Kiamrian Abbasov lost his last fight in an attempt to become a two-division champion. He is out to prove that he is still the top dog in his division at ONE on Prime Video 4. The event can be seen for free on Prime Video for all Amazon subscribers across North America.

Watch Christian Lee's interview with SCMP MMA below:

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Christian Lee discussed how he put on weight before moving up to fight Kiamrian Abbasov at welterweight

Moving up a division is a tough adjustment and the challenge doubles in difficulty when you’re fighting the champion of the higher-weight class. Christian Lee has accepted the challenge, which has added a weird twist with Kiamrian Abbasov missing weight.

During an interview with The MMA Superfan, Lee had this to say about his process of bulking up for welterweight:

“All I did was take a little bit of time off and spent a lot of time lifting a little bit differently to put on a little bit more mass. And changing my diet in the sense of not eating anything unhealthy, but doubling my portions in a healthy way.”

Since Abbasov missed weight, ‘Brazen’ will drop his welterweight crown, and Lee will be the only fighter eligible to win it at ONE on Prime Video 4. The current lightweight champion could see the weight miss as an advantage. This is because a fighter may not be in his best form if he comes in heavy.

It could also be a disadvantage because the welterweight champion is already bigger without the extra weight.