Christian Lee proved he has the heart of a champion.
In the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Lee (17-4 MMA, 17-4 ONE) had the opportunity to become a two-division champion, and nearly came up short against now-former welterweight champ Kiamrian Abbasov. However, Lee dug deep and pulled off one of the best comebacks of the year.
The fight started off with a furious pace, as Abbasov (23-6 MMA, 4-3 ONE) put heavy pressure on Lee with heavy strikes. Lee was able to get a takedown to slow things down, but a few moments after the fight returned to the feet, Abbasov cracked Lee with a hard left hand, sending him crashing to the ground.
Kiamrian Abbasov drops the HAMMER on Christian Lee in Round 1! How is he still standing?! 🤯
Tune in NOW to catch the rest of ONE on Prime Video 4 — LIVE and FREE in the U.S. and Canada with a Prime Video subscription! pic.twitter.com/jKgRKTdwOK
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 19, 2022
Lee got back to his feet, but Abbasov continued the onslaught of hard strikes. With the referee stepping in closer, the stoppage seemed like it was near, but somehow Lee managed to regain enough awareness to grab a hold of Abbasov and get a takedown to close the round.
In the second and third rounds, Lee worked his way back into the fight by wearing Abbasov down with strikes and takedowns. The momentum steadily shifted in Lee’s favor.
Continuing to build upon his success, Lee turned up the pressure in the fourth round. With Abbasov’s back against the fence, Lee unleashed a series of hard, unanswered leg kicks. A moment later, Lee unloaded a barrage of punches before getting an easy takedown. From there, Lee postured up and emptied the tank until the fight was stopped at 4:20.
@ChristianLeeMMA's FIRING BACK in Round 4! 😤#ONEonPrimeVideo4
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch live on @primevideo
🇬🇧🇹🇭🇧🇷🇸🇦 Watch live on ONE YouTube
🌍 Watch live on https://t.co/eBUfsOlZOd pic.twitter.com/malMdf6OBT— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 19, 2022
With the TKO stoppage, Lee becomes the ONE Championship welterweight (185 pound) and lightweight (170 pound) champion.
“I gotta give Abbasov the credit, he was the champion for a reason,” Lee said during his post-fight interview. “Very tough dude. As you can see, I left it all in the ring, man. I can hardly carry these two belts. I didn’t know where I was, but a true champion never quits, and so, I found a way to come back.”
Lee, 24, has won 8 of his last 9 bouts. In August, he avenged a loss against Rae Yoon Ok to reclaim the lightweight title. With the division cleared out, he moved up to become a two-division champion.
On the other side, Abbasov attempted two-division status of his own in February when he challenged for Reinier de Ridder’s light heavyweight title. He came up short in that bid, and returned to face Lee, dropping his second-straight bout. Prior to 2022, Abbasov won five in a row.
Full results of ONE on Prime Video 4 include:
- Christian Lee def. Kiamrian Abbasov via TKO (punches) – Round 4, 4:20
- Stephen Loman def. Bibiano Fernandes via unanimous decision
- Jae Woong Kim def. Kevin Belingon via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:33
- Ruslan Emilbek def. Isi Fitikefu via split decision
