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At ONE on Prime Video 4, Christian Lee put on the performance of his career to become a two-division world champion. With one of the most epic comebacks of the year, Lee defeated Kiamrian Abbasov to win the ONE welterweight world championship.
In the event that followed just a few hours after ONE on Prime Video 4, Saygid Izagakhamev also picked up the biggest win of his career to date.
At ONE 163, the Russian defeated Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki in the first round. After defeating a former world champion, Izagakhmaev may have put himself in a legitimate position to challenge for Christian Lee’s lightweight crown.
In his post-fight interview, Izagakhmaev commented on Lee’s performance in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4:
“What I would say is that he won very tactically. I was supporting Kiamrian. We are friends, actually. But yeah, he got the belt. He can relax now, and let’s see.”
Watch the full interview below:
Whilst Christian Lee now has two divisions to reign over, Izagakhmaev made a statement at ONE 163. Making it three in a row for the Russian inside the circle, he secured his first TKO finish in ONE Championship and did it in just 86 seconds against a former ONE lightweight world champion.
What's next for Christian Lee after ONE on Prime Video 4?
The ONE lightweight world champion achieved champ-champ status when he knocked out Kiamrian Abbasov in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4. After a devastating first round from the defending champion, Christian Lee showed incredible toughness and heart to stay in the fight.
As his opponent started to tire, Lee continued to push the pace, smashing his opponent with elbows and ground and pound to get the finish in the fourth round. Though he is on an incredible run of form, holding two world championships will mean that there will be a lot of contenders chasing after Christian Lee.
As the lightweight and welterweight champion, Lee has said that he plans on defending both world titles but cannot keep going back and forth between the two weight classes. The 24-year-old is aware of the risks of constantly fluctuating between the 15-pound weight difference and, therefore, may stay at welterweight to defend his new world championship before going back down.
Former world champion Zebaztian Kadestam could be a viable next fight for Lee. There is even potential for a rematch with Abbasov in the near future after how dominant the former champion was in the opening rounds.
The big fight on the horizon at welterweight is Roberto Soldic, who will make his ONE debut at ONE on Prime Video 5 against Murad Ramazanov. If he is successful, the former double champion in KSW would be a huge challenge for Christian Lee.
If ‘The Warrior’ does decide to return to lightweight for his next fight, there are several younger challengers waiting for his return.
After Lee cleaned out most of the older contenders in his bid to become champion at 155 lbs, the lightweight division has seen new blood as Saygid Izagakhmaev and Halil Amir have inserted themselves into the division’s top five. The current No.2-ranked Dagi Arslanaliev is also another very dangerous contender.
