"The one who forces his game will win"- Alibeg Rasulov breaks down his 'striker vs grappler' war with Ok Rae Yoon
ONE newcomer Alibeg Rasulov is hugely invested in the outcome of his debut fight against top-ranked lightweight MMA contender Ok Rae Yoon.
The 31-year-old standout is walking into his first interim world title bout on July 5 with great momentum, after a 14-0 start outside the promotion.
In the last decade, Rasulov demonstrated that he's a difficult opponent to deal with due to his tricky takedowns and subversive wrestling game.
The Turkish stud employs the feared Dagestani-style pressure wrestling. Rasulov excels in controlling an opponent using the least amount of power or effort, which makes his matchup with a natural-born striker like Ok Rae Yoon, that much more intriguing.
Speaking to ONE this week, Rasulov broke down his 'striker vs. grappler' dynamic with Ok Rae Yoon in the following words:
"It's going to be an interesting fight. He fights standing up, while I mostly wrestle. The one who forces his game will win, but I'm still confident in myself."
Watch Alibeg Rasulov's dominant wrestling skills below:
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"I am studying Alibeg closely" - Former ONE lightweight king Ok Rae Yoon is leaving no stone unturned ahead of interim clash against undefeated Alibeg Rasulov
Former ONE lightweight king Ok Rae Yoon knows perfectly well the kind of threat Alibeg Rasulov poses for his future reign as champion.
The South Korean slugger toiled night and day to bounce back from his world title loss to current world titleholder 'The Warrior' Christian Lee, with a decisive victory over Lowen Tynanes this past year.
Now that he faces an even tougher challenge in undefeated wrestler Alibeg Rasulov, a victory over him would solidify his claim to fight Lee next.
"For that to happen, I need a good reason, " he began telling ONE, "and that would be defeating a 14-0 fighter in Alibeg. I am studying Alibeg closely and preparing for him accordingly."