“It's MMA in the purest sense” - Christian Lee thankful to compete under ONE Championship’s ruleset

ONE lightweight MMA world champion Christian Lee of the United States showcased his killer instinct by annihilating challenger Alibeg Rasulov at ONE 173 on Nov. 16.

‘The Warrior’ defended his belt with a brutal second-round TKO, handing the Turkish fighter his first career defeat by way of punishing grounded knees to the head.

That finishing sequence was made possible by ONE Championship’s unique Global MMA ruleset.

According to Lee, this is the perfect ruleset that captures the true essence of mixed martial arts.

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The two-division MMA world champion shared during the ONE 173 post-fight press conference:

"I love the ONE Championship ruleset. I think that knees to a grounded opponent is, man, it's MMA in the purest sense.”

The Prodigy Training Center affiliate continued:

“The sport was designed to figure out who the best fighter in the world is across any discipline. And I believe with mixed martial arts, you're able to prove that you're the best fighter in the world. And with the martial arts, with the ONE Championship ruleset, it allows me to put that on perfectly, so I'm very grateful for it."

Lee, who holds the record for most finishes in ONE Championship with 17, collected a $50,000 performance bonus for his stellar win.

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Christian Lee vows to stay active next year, defend both belts

Christian Lee, who will soon be a father of four, focused on his growing family this year.

But according to 'The Warrior', he'll ramp up his activity for the home of martial arts next year and happily defend his lightweight and welterweight belts from all challengers.

The two-division MMA kingpin told Mitch Chilson:

“Well, it definitely feels good to be back. I'm happy to be back in here with another finish and another win. And next year, I plan to stay active. I have two belts. And then the two toughest divisions in the world. So I think next, it's only right that I defend the welterweight belt. And we'll see where we go from there.”

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Edited by Aziel Karthak