"I had to make further adjustments" - Former lightweight MMA king Ok Rae Yoon recalls tough win over Lowen Tynanes in Denver
Ok Rae Yoon returns in the main event of ONE Fight Night 23, where he looks to reclaim a piece of the ONE lightweight MMA world championship.
The former champion lost his grip on the title in a rematch with Christian Lee, which could set up a huge trilogy fight between them in the near future.
Following his defeat to Lee, the South Korean contender looked to bounce back with his debut fight in the United States last year. He made the walk at ONE Fight Night 10 in Broomfield, Colorado, to take on Lowen Tynanes in a fight that saw him get his hand raised.
Whilst the fight presented challenges of its own, Ok Rae Yoon recently reflected on that experience and how he had faced adversity before even stepping inside the circle.
He told ONE Championship about how making the trip to Denver meant fighting at a high altitude which took his body some time to adapt to:
"The fact that it was in the United States added to the pressure, as well. I'd never experienced jetlag in training camp before, and the altitude in Denver meant I had to make further adjustments."
This fight set Ok Rae Yoon up perfectly
Battling through the adversity of acclimatizing his body to fighting in Denver ended up being a massive moment for Ok Rae Yoon.
His win over Lowen Tynanes put him in a prime position in the lightweight MMA division.
This meant that when ONE Fight Night 23 lost the originally planned main event between Anissa Meksen and Jackie Buntan, his fight against Alibeg Rasulov was the clear first choice to be promoted.
With the interim title on the line, the 33-year-old former champ finally has the opportunity to become a world champion once again when he arrives at Lumpinee Stadium on July 5.
ONE Fight Night 23 will air live and free in US primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.