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ONE Championship: Christian Lee's return declared a no contest after accidental eye poke on Alibeg Rasulov

Christian Lee apologised and expressed his desire for a rematch after poking Alibeg Rasulov in the eye; the ONE Fight Night 26 main event was called off after a doctor's examination and declared a no contest

Saturday 7 December 2024 16:14, UK

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The best of the action from Christian Lee's clash with Alibeg Rasulov at ONE Championship Fight Night 26

Two-division MMA world champion Christian "The Warrior" Lee's return ended in dramatic fashion after an accidental eye poke saw his clash against Alibeg Rasulov called off and declared a no contest.

After two years removed from competition, Lee made his highly anticipated comeback and defended his ONE lightweight MMA world title in the main event ONE Fight Night 26 in Thailand's Lumpinee Stadium.

Lee, who owns the record for most finishes in ONE Championship history with 16, was looking to add another stoppage victory to his incredible run, and he was off to a convincing start.

The 26-year-old Singaporean-American attacked undefeated challenger Rasulov with a stinging jab, some wild rights, and a bevy of kicks and step-in knees in the opening frame.

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Is ONE's Christian Lee the best lightweight in MMA?

Lee also utilised his strikes to disguise his takedown attempts, but Rasulov - a lifelong Dagestani wrestler - thwarted those efforts and found a home for his cross.

Though Lee's output continued in round two, he began to show signs of exhaustion. Meanwhile, Rasulov connected more with his jab, overhand right and straight punches.

In the waning seconds of the stanza, Lee unintentionally poked the 32-year-old in the eye. After an examination from the ringside doctor, the bout was called off and declared a no contest.

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Following the fight, Lee, who also holds the ONE welterweight MMA world championship, apologised for the unintentional eye poke and expressed his desire for a rematch with Rasulov in 2025.

Bastos defeats Kelly to reclaim women's crown

While one match ended without a proper conclusion, another rivalry was put to bed when ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world champion Mayssa Bastos defeated Danielle Kelly once again.

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The Brazilian, who dethroned Kelly in a razor-close battle this past August, was more aggressive in the opening moments of the 10-minute rematch.

She quickly secured a leg-drag pass and soon scrambled into the top position, but the American was fairly stellar with her defence. Although Bastos kept hunting for submissions, Kelly scrambled her way to more favourable positions halfway into the contest and put the pressure on her rival.

In the final two minutes, the Brazilian turned up the heat, jumped for a headlock and tried locking in a D'Arce choke. The American rolled out to escape, but Bastos grabbed hold of the leg and cranked on a heel hook to score the first - and only - catch of the rematch just seconds before the bell rang.

With that catch, Bastos left the ring with a unanimous decision victory and retained her 26 pounds of gold.

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Elias Mahmoudi produced an upset win over Denis Puric, stopping the veteran with seconds left in the last round

What else happened? Full results from ONE Fight Night 26...

  • ONE Lightweight MMA World Title: Christian Lee vs Alibeg Rasulov ended in a no contest
  • Flyweight Muay Thai: Kongthoranee Sor Sommai defeats Nakrob Fairtex via unanimous decision
  • ONE Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title: Mayssa Bastos defeats Danielle Kelly via unanimous decision
  • Flyweight MMA: Reece McLaren defeats Jarred Brooks via split decision
  • Catchweight (138.75 pounds) Muay Thai: Elias Mahmoudi defeats Denis Puric via knockout at 2:58 of round three
  • Flyweight MMA: Yuya Wakamatsu defeats Gilbert Nakatani via unanimous decision
  • Featherweight MMA: Shamil Gasanov defeats Halil Amir via unanimous decision
  • Lightweight Submission Grappling: Cole Abate defeats Shinya Aoki via submission (heel hook) at 2:25 of round one
  • Strawweight Kickboxing: Jonathan Di Bella defeats Rui Botelho via unanimous decision
  • Lightweight Submission Grappling: Dante Leon defeats Bruno Pucci via submission (triangle armbar) at 2:01 of round one
  • Strawweight Muay Thai: Thongpoon PK Saenchai defeats 'Mini T' Danial Williams via TKO at 1:10 of round two

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