“I’d like to see him fight somebody in the rankings” - Christian Lee wants to see more from Saygid Izagakhmaev

Newly-crowned 2-time ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee recently sat with SCMP Martial Arts and spoke about Khabib Nurmagomedov's protege, Saygid Izagakhmaev. The Dagestani lightweight fighter is pegged to be the next big thing in the promotion, largely because of his affiliation with 'The Eagle'.

Lee, after his his dominant recapturing of his throne from Ok Rae Yoon in ONE 160, spoke about his future in the division. Possible contenders were huge talking points in the interview. After Izagakhmaev's ultra-impressive ONE debut back in January, it's not surprising that Lee is keeping a close eye on him.

When asked about the possibility of Saygid Izagakhmaev getting a title shot if he wins his scheduled bout with Zhang Lipeng at ONE 161, Lee replied:

"I think that if he [Izagakhmaev] wins that fight that would be great, it would give him two wins in ONE Championship. But you know, really [after] winning his first fight, he got put in no.5 because of course of his record. He beat a good opponent and also he’s coming from a good team."

Lee further explained:

"But, in my opinion, I think that it would be best to just fight somebody in the rankings, fight somebody in the top five before you get a shot. There’s a reason there’s a ranking and I feel the four guys ahead of him in the rankings would all be a very tough fight and a good test for him so I do think he’s most likely the next person I’d be defending my belt against but I’d like to see him fight somebody in the rankings before he gets that shot."

Lee speaks the truth when it comes to Izagakhmaev. Although there's a lot of hype surrounding the Dagestani on top of his dominant ONE debut, there are still a of other fighters on the roster who also deserve a shot.

Watch the full interview here:

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Christian Lee believes Saygid Izagakhmaev can face Dagi Arslanaliev in a world title eliminator

One fighter Christian Lee thinks Saygid Izagakhmaev should face in order to get a title shot is Saygid Guseyn 'Dagi' Arslanaliev. 'Dagi' just came off a thrilling "Fight of the Year" performance against Timofey Nastyukhin late last year. It was one of the most exciting MMA fights you'll ever see:

In the match-up between the two Saygid's, Lee had this to say:

"I could definitely see that happening and I think that would make a great fight and definitely determine the no.1 contender."

Simple but riings absolutely true. This fight will certainly be entertaining and could propel both fighters into title contention. Saygid Izagakhmaev needs to get past Lipeng first, however.