Golden ramifications will await the winner when former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Ok Rae Yoon meets unbeaten star and hot new promotional signing Alibeg Rasulov for the interim lightweight MMA crown at ONE Fight Night 23 on Saturday, July 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
The huge meeting was bumped up to headline the event after the cancellation of Jackie Buntan and Anissa Meksen’s clash for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight kickboxing world title.
That scrap fell apart due to an injury sustained by Buntan and, as a result, Ok and Rasulov will square off to decide the first lightweight opponent for divisional king Christian Lee upon his return.
With a record of 17-4 and having held the gold once before, Ok will bring a wealth of experience into the matchup.
The South Korean snatched the undisputed world title from Lee at ONE: REVOLUTION in September 2021 after earning his shot with back-to-back victories over Eddie Alvarez and Marat Gafurov in his first two outings in ONE.
Ok shocked the world when he edged out “The Warrior” over five rounds. And although he lost the belt in their rematch 11 months later, the 32-year-old showed the world he should still be feared when he returned and defeated Lowen Tynanes at ONE Fight Night 10 last May.
Ok is undeniably one of the top stars of the lightweight MMA division. But he’ll have to take out a talented up-and-comer in order to cement himself as worthy of a third clash with Lee.
Rasulov holds a perfect 13-0 in his professional career, with 10 finishes. Six of those came came via knockout, so he certainly has the firepower to threaten Ok’s prowess on the feet.
His fierce skillset has skyrocketed him into the running for a shot at Lee in his very first bout in ONE Championship, and fans should prepare for him to make a name for himself when he makes the walk at ONE Fight Night 23.
