Ok Rae Yoon Eyeing Trilogy With Christian Lee Ahead Of Alibeg Rasulov Bout At ONE Fight Night 23

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Former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Ok Rae Yoon has dreams of holding gold once again in ONE Championship. But the path to reclaiming that prize goes through Alibeg Rasulov at ONE Fight Night 23.

The South Korean knockout artist welcomes the unbeaten Turk to the fold on Saturday, 6 July, inside Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, where the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title will hang in the balance.

It's a classic striker-versus-grappler affair, and should Rasulov try to rush Ok, the latter plans to ruin the unbeaten star's promotional debut by giving him his first defeat in devastating fashion.

"Alibeg has never tasted defeat at the professional level before. Coming up with a game plan, a solution to defeating this man, that is what excites me. I believe that the way I develop and enact this game plan will determine the outcome of the fight," Ok said.

"ONE allows for knees on the ground. So, if he comes in for the takedown, I'll make sure he pays for it with my knees. Then I'll hit him with my shots and get the KO."

For Ok, running things back with two-weight king Christian Lee is at the top of his list. The Team Mad star beat Lee for the lightweight gold at ONE: REVOLUTION in September 2021, shocking the combat sports world.

When the pair met in the sequel at ONE 160 in August 2022, Lee defeated Ok by second-round TKO to reclaim the crown. With the scores tied, the 34-year-old wants to face Lee in the trilogy to unify the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title.

But while he's determined to get a third crack at Lee, he isn't overlooking Rasulov. In fact, he knows that's what he must take care of first and foremost to reach the pinnacle.

"I have to admit that I see this fight as a direct path back to facing Christian again. I sometimes think more about him than my upcoming opponent. Of course, I fully understand that Alibeg is a powerful and formidable opponent, but I do think about my desire to fight Christian again," Ok said.

"I really, really want to fight Christian Lee for a third time before I retire. I believe I must fight him before I call it a day. Although our last fight ended in a complete defeat for me, we're still 1-1."