“I was in control of the fight.”

Undisputed mixed martial arts world champion “Warrior” Christian Lee of Singapore and the United States felt he was on his way to winning the first fight with unbeaten Turkish sensation Alibeg Rasulov, before an inadvertent kick to the eye brought the bout to an abrupt halt.

Lee met Rasulov for the first time in December 2024 at ONE Fight Night 26 on Prime Video. That fight was very competitive, until Lee accidentally poked Rasulov in the eye and the Turkish fighter was no longer able to continue.

The result was no competition.

Speaking with ONE Championship in a recent interview, Lee shared that he felt like he was gaining momentum heading into the unofficial finish, and that he would have beaten Rasulov had the match continued:

“I think him being more competitive didn’t change the fact that I was in control of the fight, and the way we felt out there, I felt like the momentum was shifting. That’s why I was upset with the finish.”

It goes without saying that Lee will look to leave no doubt when the two finally meet in a rematch next weekend, almost a year after their initial encounter.

Christian Lee and Alibej Rasulov settle things at ONE 173 in Tokyo

“The Warrior” Christian Lee will once again put his ONE World Lightweight Title on the line when he meets undefeated Alibeg Rasulov at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri, which will be broadcast live on Sunday, November 16, from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

The 27-year-old world champion is confident he can get the job done this time and leave no doubt with a clear result.

Tickets for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri are available here. Fans in the US and Canada can visit the official ONE Championship website for more information on how to watch from their locations.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for the latest news and updates surrounding Christian Lee’s next fight.