Eddie Alvarez weighs in on Ok Rae Yoon vs. Christian Lee rematch at ONE 160
ONE lightweight fighter Eddie Alvarez recently weighed in on the world title rematch between Christian Lee and Ok Rae Yoon at ONE 160.
Back in 2021, former ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee faced Ok Rae Yoon in a hotly-contested battle that saw a controversial decision in the end. Lee protested the outcome as he lost his belt in a fight he thought he had won. A year later, an immediate rematch was set.
Having faced Ok in the past, former multi-time world champion Alvarez has significant insight into how the fateful battle could possibly play out. Surprisingly, the American MMA icon predicts the rematch to look highly similar to the first fight.
Speaking to ONE Championship, Alvarez said:
"Christian [Lee], he's a go-forward fighter, and he's always attacking, and Ok [Rae Yoon] is a counter fighter, you know what I mean? So they both score in different ways. That kind of matchup is always going to, if it goes to a decision, it's always going to be controversial."
Alvarez is not wrong. Being a go-forward fighter like Christian Lee, 'The Underground King' faced similar problems with Ok when he faced him. The Korean ONE world champion loves to strike like a viper once you leave yourself vulnerable upon attacking. The counter-striking style he employs is quite the puzzle for an aggressor like Lee.
Let's see August 26 if 'The Warrior' does something different.
Christian Lee may have to use his grappling skills against Ok Rae Yoon, according to Ariel Sexton
A different take on the fateful ONE 160 rematch was by Ariel Sexton, ONE's lightweight grappling savant. Unlike Alvarez, Sexton sees a glaring hole in Ok's game that Lee can exploit.
Speaking to ONE, 'Tarzan' said:
"Man, that first fight was a scrap, and they were just going at it. I think it was a little too crazy. I think that Christian Lee should slow it down and use his jiu-jitsu and try to get a submission, rather than always trying to knock people out, which is something that a lot of people like to do as well. But you saw the fight, it's hard to knock these guys out nowadays. So I would go for a submission for sure."
For Sexton, Lee should use his supposed grappling advantage over Ok. The fight is dead even in the striking department, so exploiting Ok's holes in the ground could be the key to Lee reclaiming his throne.