Christian Lee to Defend Lightweight MMA World Title Against Alibeg Rasulov at ONE Fight Night 26 

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Earlier this week, ONE Championship announced the main event of ONE Fight Night 26. There, reigning ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Champion Christian Lee will make his highly anticipated return.

"The Warrior" is set to defend his lightweight belt against undefeated Turkish fighter Alibeg Rasulov on 7 December at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. This will be the promotion's last U.S. primetime event of 2024.

This blockbuster fight was originally scheduled for ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on 9 November, but now it has been rescheduled to the December event.

The 26-year-old superstar has been active in ONE for nearly a decade. Making his debut as a teenager, he has competed in 21 fights, winning 17 of them. The Singaporean-American superstar is a ferocious finisher, with 12 wins by KO/TKO, four by submission, and only one by judges' decision.

The reigning two-division king used to compete in the featherweight division, where he even challenged for the title but lost by split decision. In 2019, Lee etched his name in the history books when he knocked out Japanese legend Shinya Aoki to become the youngest-ever male Mixed Martial Arts World Champion.

Since that historic title win, Lee successfully defended his belt on three occasions. In 2021, however, he suffered a shocking loss to Ok Rae Yoon. But nearly a year later, Lee knocked out Ok to reclaim his belt.

In November 2022, "The Warrior" moved up a weight class to challenge Kiamrian Abbasov for his ONE Welterweight MMA World Title. "The Warrior" delivered an unforgettable performance and became a two-division ONE World Champion.

Standing in his way next, though, is undefeated Rasulov, who will look to spoil the return of one of the most prolific finishers in ONE history. The Turkish star, who holds an impressive record of 14-0, made a successful debut against Ok in 2024. He has all the tools to dethrone Lee and become the undisputed ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion.