Ok Rae Yoon relishes underdog tag ahead of ONE Fight Night 23 return: “Every time, I’ve proved people wrong”
Former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Ok Rae Yoon is happy to play the underdog. After suffering a brutal second-round knockout loss against Christian Lee at ONE 160, the South Korean standout bounced back with a big unanimous decision win over Lowen Tynanes at ONE Fight Night 10.
More than a year later, he'll return to the Circle at ONE Fight Night 23 for a high-stakes scrap with undefeated debutant Alibeg Rasulov.
Though Ok is a former ONE world champion with a solid 17-4 overall record (4-1 in ONE), he is considered by many to be the underdog against the Dagestani-born dynamo.
Speaking with the promotion, Ok Rae Yoon has no problem being the underdog. After all, that's a label he's been saddled with for much of his mixed martial arts career.
“I’ve been an underdog for most of my career at ONE Championship," Ok told the promotion. "I’ve faced top competition, and every time, I’ve proved people wrong. I will be fighting an elite competitor once again, and as always, I want to surprise people and exceed expectations.”
Ok Rae Yoon keen to hand ONE newcomer Alibeg Rasulov his first career loss
Aside from his loss against 'The Warrior,' Ok Rae Yoon has looked spectacular throughout his ONE run, earning wins over former ONE world champions Marat Gafurov, Eddie Alvarez, and Christian Lee.
He'll face yet another tough test against Rasulov, a well-round 31-year-old fighting out of Bursa, Turkey.
Thus far in his MMA career, Alibeg Rasulov is a perfect 13-0 with six wins coming by way of knockout and another four via submission. After racking up most of his wins fighting in his native Russia, he's ready to take his show on the road and show what he's capable of on martial arts' biggest global stage.
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 23 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, July 5.