“What I’ve been doing works” - Christian Lee sticks to tried-and-true training camp to prepare for Alibeg Rasulov rematch

ONE lightweight MMA world champion Christian Lee is all set for his scheduled title defense later this month. He admits, however, that he has not changed his approach and preparation much, seeing how what he does suits and works for him.

'The Warrior' will defend his lightweight championship belt against undefeated challenger Alibeg Rasulov of Turkey at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Nov. 16 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. It is a rematch of their first encounter for the title in December last year, which unfortunately ended in a no-contest.

In a pre-fight interview with ONE Championship, the 27-year-old champion shared what his mindset is heading into the rematch and the kind of preparation he has had.

Christian Lee said:

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“What I’ve been doing works. I just feel like I’m making small changes to train smarter, like adding more recovery to my routine, and I feel like just small changes make the big differences.”

The first encounter between Lee and Rasulov abruptly ended in the second round after the Singaporean-American fighter accidentally poked his opponent's eye. Rasulov was given time to recover but was eventually ruled unable to continue, leaving the match to be declared a no-contest.

Christian Lee is now looking for a conclusive outcome at ONE 173 and win to retain his standing as a double ONE world champion, as he also holds the promotion's welterweight MMA world title.

Tickets for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri are available via ePlus in Japan. The event is also live on pay-per-view exclusively at Live.ONEFC.com.

For more information on the marquee event, follow Sportskeeda MMA and ONE Championship.

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Christian Lee confident of defeating Alibeg Rasulov in rematch

Christian Lee is positive of defeating Alibeg Rasulov in their rematch at ONE 173, so much so he could actually envision his hand being raised on fight night.

He shared this in an interview with ONE Championship, citing how their first encounter served as a good gauge on where he stands against Rasulov and provided solid insights:

"I definitely would have loved to have had a conclusive ending right there. But I'm not taking anything away from Alibeg. It was an accidental eye poke. I'm very confident going into this rematch because I can already picture the victory."

ONE 173 marks the first time that Christian Lee is defending the lightweight MMA world title since reclaiming it in August 2022. His last match does not count as it ended in a no-contest.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak