Christian Lee closes door on ONE Championship title trilogy against Rae Yoon Ok
If it’s up to Christian Lee, don’t count on another fight against Rae Yoon Ok.
Lee (16-4) reclaimed the lightweight title by finishing Ok (16-4) in the main event of ONE Championship 160, avenging a controversial decision title loss from September 2021. Taking the result out of the judges’ hands this time around, Lee hopes the outcome closes the door on the title fight rivalry with Ok.
“This was a continuation of our first fight,” Lee said during his post-fight interview. “To me, the start of Round 1 was a continuation. It was Round 6. So, the only way this could have ended for good is to get a finish. So, if Ok was to finish me, there’s no need for a rematch. For me, finishing Ok the way I did, there’s no need for a rematch because I feel that I won the first time, and I made sure that I won the second time. So, this is it.”
Looking at the pair of fights from Lee’s perspective, “Round 7” became the definitive moment to put the rivalry to bed when he landed crushing knees to Ok on the ground to end the fight.
“I wasn’t chasing the knockout,” Lee said. “The main thing this fight was staying composed, picking my shots and going for the finish, but taking it in its own time. My whole strategy, my approach was to be patient, and that’s why it ended up being done in the second (round).”
Lee’s finish snapped a five-fight win streak for Ok, which included a unanimous decision win over former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez in April 2021. It was the third opponent Lee faced for the second time in his 20-fight pro career, and hopes his performance was strong enough to move on to a new challenge in his new title reign.
Check out the full post-fight interview with Lee in the video above.