Christian Lee vs. Alibeg Rasulov Lightweight MMA Title Showdown Set For ONE 169: Atlanta

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After a long absence from ONE Championship, two-weight MMA king Christian "The Warrior" Lee returns to competition in a high-stakes lightweight affair later this year at ONE 169: Atlanta in Georgia.

Christian Lee sets foot inside the renowned Circle on Saturday, 9 November, at Atlanta's State Farm Arena. There, he'll defend his ONE Lightweight MMA World Title against top contender Alibeg Rasulov in a massive showdown live in U.S. primetime.

The 26-year-old hasn't been seen in action since he dethroned former ONE Welterweight MMA World Champion Kiamrian Abbasov for the gold in November 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 4.

"The Warrior" suffered the loss of his younger sister Victoria Lee one month later, causing him to step back from competition and focus on his family through the unimaginable period. But now he's ready to pick up where he left off, starting with defending his lightweight crown.

Lee reclaimed the ONE Lightweight MMA World Championship after avenging an earlier loss to Ok Rae Yoon in August 2022 at ONE 160. In their rematch, he made an emphatic statement, stopping the stern South Korean in the second frame to reclaim the gold.

The Hawaiian has won eight of his last nine bouts inside the Circle. On top of that, he's earned seven of those by TKO. And despite his absence, "The Warrior" maintains the record for the most victories in ONE Championship history at 17 and the most stoppages at 16.

But while Lee has been away, a new threat in Rasulov has arisen. And he'll have every intention of ruining the champion's return by snatching away the crown at ONE 169 this November.

The Turkish star made his promotional debut on 6 July at ONE Fight Night 23 against Ok, outclassing the former lightweight king over the course of five hard rounds in Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Stadium.

The tie was originally set for the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title. But Rasulov failed to pass hydration and make weight before the official time window. This rendered him unable to win the belt if victorious.

Nonetheless, Rasulov's aggressive skill set and unrelenting pressure allowed him to overcome Ok by unanimous decision and take the top spot to face Lee in his Stateside return this November.

The Hyperion Fighters product boasts a record of 14-0 with 10 stoppages - six coming by knockout and four by submission, making him deadly in all facets of his game. And he'll look to shock the world in giving a fellow revered finisher an early night at ONE 169: Atlanta.

On the same night, fans can also see three-weight king Anatoly Malykhin defend his ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title against "Reug Reug" Oumar Kane. Also, Tawanchai PK Saenchai defends his ONE featherweight Muay Thai crown against hometown favorite Jo Nattawut in a huge trilogy match.