“No need to have an interim belt” - Christian Lee eager to reassert his dominance in the lightweight and welterweight MMA ranks
Two-division MMA world champion Christian Lee is shutting down all talks about interim world title bouts in his domain.
'The Warrior' made it clear he's back in the swing of things and will be ready for all challengers in the lightweight and welterweight MMA ranks.
"There's no need to have an interim belt now that I'm back in action and I'm ready to defend either belt," he told Sportskeeda MMA's Nick Atkin in a recent interview. [3:00 onwards in the below video]
Christian Lee's first order of business is to defend his 170-pound gold strap against the rampaging Alibeg Rasulov this coming November 8 at ONE 169: Atlanta at State Farm Arena.
The Singaporean-American is ready to end his MMA hiatus and prove to the world that he's still a force to be reckoned with.
However, Lee won't have it easy against his undefeated challenger, who impressed in his promotional debut last July.
Rasulov outclassed former lightweight MMA champ Ok Rae Yoon in a five-round war at ONE Fight Night 23 to extend his pristine record to 14-0.
Once the dust settles in that pivotal showdown, Lee is expected to shift focus to the welterweight MMA division.
Watch Christian Lee's interview with Sportskeeda MMA in its entirety:
Christian Lee wants to remind fans what they've been missing
Christian Lee has a statement to make at ONE 169: Atlanta. Given his lengthy period on the sidelines, getting his hand raised just won't be enough for the two-weight champ.
In the same interview with Nick Atkin, Lee promised to display his same-old ferocious self and score another incredible finish:
"Yeah, I'm definitely excited to be back in the ONE Circle. I'm looking forward to putting on a great show the next time I'm back as well."
Tickets for ONE 169: Atlanta are available via Ticketmaster