"Where's that Christian Lee?" - Japanese star Hiroyuki Tetsuka demands shot at Christian Lee's welterweight throne
Japanese rising superstar Hiroyuki Tetsuka didn't stutter when he called out current ONE welterweight and lightweight MMA world champion Christian Lee for a shot at one of his world titles.
The 'Japanese Beast' scored his fifth consecutive stoppage when he submitted Brazilian slugger Valmir 'Junior' Da Silva at last Friday's ONE Fight Night 21 in Bangkok in a bid to fight double-world champion Christian Lee.
Speaking into the microphone during his in-ring interview with Mitch Chilson, the 34-year-old veteran bellowed:
"Where's that Christian Lee? He's the welterweight, my division champion, and I want a title shot for the belt."
Tetsuka has been clawing his way into world title contention since surrendering his only loss in ONE Championship to Murad Ramazanov in November 2020.
After obliterating one opponent after another within the last couple of years, Tetsuka has finally succeeded in capturing our attention.
On the flip side, current divisional king Christian Lee is gearing up to return later this year after taking a break from the sport due to his sister Victoria's untimely passing in 2022. He has yet to defend the ONE welterweight MMA world title for the first time since capturing the crown from Kiamrian Abbasov in November 2022.
Hiroyuki Tetsuka makes another career statement in finishing Valmir da Silva in two rounds
Hiroyuki Tetsuka's opponents haven't seen past three rounds in the last four years due to Tetsuka's all-encompassing MMA skills.
Even against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist like Valmir da Silva, the 'Japanese Beast' needed just two rounds to put him away.
Both men went back and forth in the first round to establish some ground control with a couple of takedowns from each side. Tetsuka continued with the pressure in the second round to score his second takedown of the match, but it didn't put Da Silva in any danger.
Forced back onto their feet, the 'Japanese Beast' throws big elbows to hurt his opponent and quickly transitions again for the takedown to lock in the north-south choke to get the tap.
Watch the Hiroyuki Tetsuka's crazy submission on Instagram below: