ONE rising star Saygid Izagakhmaev believes he and two-division world champion Christian Lee will put on one hell of a show once their paths inevitably cross inside the Circle.
The Dagestani upstart, who just moved to the third spot in the ONE lightweight rankings following his one-round decimation of Shinya Aoki at ONE 163, knows it's just a matter of time before he gets a crack at 24-year-old’s ONE lightweight world title.
Shortly after dispatching the Japanese legend in incredible fashion last week, Izagakhmaev talked to SCMP MMA’s Nic Atkin about facing Lee somewhere down the line:
“He did a really great job today and I think I did the same. So if we fight, it will be a very spectacular fight and it will collect a lot of people in this arena. I’m sure one day, we will face each other, either in the next fight or the fight after that. But I’m ready for this.”
Just a few hours before Izagakhmaev took care of business against Aoki, Lee put on a masterclass of his own and made history at ONE on Prime Video 4. ‘The Warrior’ conquered two divisions with his now iconic come-from-behind win over Kiamrian Abbasov for the ONE welterweight world title.
After nearly getting knocked out in the opening round, the Singaporean-American stormed back and used his elite grappling skills to turn the tide. He put ‘Brazen’ on his back numerous times and gave him the first TKO loss of his career in the fourth round.
Lee is arguably the most ferocious finisher in ONE Championship history, with a staggering 95 percent career finishing rate in 21 bouts.
Saygid Izagakhmaev, meanwhile, has only three matches inside the Circle so far but has also proven his worth by annihilating the former 170-pound kingpin Aoki. He also choked out James Nakashima in his debut and outclassed Zhang Lipeng in three rounds.
While nothing is set in stone yet, a Lee versus Izagakhmaev showdown is certainly the fight ONE fans want to see the most.
Saygid Izagakhmaev blasts Christian Lee for calling out Islam Makhachev
In the same interview with SCMP MMA, Izagakhmaev also addressed Lee’s decision to challenge his Nurmagomedov MMA teammate Islam Makhachev. For one, the UFC lightweight champion does not even fight in the same promotion.
The Russian mauler also felt slighted, since most pundits have him as the most deserving contender for the 170-pound gold strap. Saygid Izagakhmaev quipped:
“I think Islam [Makhachev] has [Alexander] Volkanovski and Christian [Lee] has me. He needs to focus on me and there’s no reason for him to think about fighting Islam.”
Makhachev’s surprise appearance at ONE 163 certainly caught a lot off guard, including Lee. But as far as the no.3 ranked lightweight is concerned, ‘The Warrior’ should shift his focus on him because he’s definitely coming for that belt.
Watch Saygid Izagakhmaev’s full post-fight interview below: