Christian Lee is a ONE Championship titleholder once again.
At ONE Championship 160, Lee (16-4) snatched the title from champion Rae Yoon Ok (16-4) with a TKO one minute into Round 2. The event took place Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
From the opening bell, the takeover was increasingly dominant for Lee. As the first round progressed, Lee landed more and more strikes. Ok showed a sturdy chin, but toward the end of Round 1, the frequency of punishment projected writing on the wall.
In Round 2, a leg kick put Ok on his back foot. Lee moved forward and dropped Ok with an overhand right. As Ok planted both of his hands on the canvas in an attempt to get to his feet, Lee punished him with a brutal knee.
Unlike in the UFC and other major promotions overseen by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports, ONE Championship follows its own rule set. Knees to a grounded opponent are legal – and are exactly what Lee capitalized on. Lee blasted Ok with four follow-up knees for the finish.
With the victory, Lee avenges a controversial unanimous decision title loss to Ok from September 2021. He moves to 7-1 in his most recent eight. The performance was the 20th career fight for Lee, 24.
Meanwhile, Ok’s five-fight winning streak is snapped. The stretch included victories over Lee, Eddie Alvarez, and Marat Gafurov, among others. The defeat marks the second time Ok has been finished in his career.
The full ONE Championship 160 results include:
Christian Lee def. Rae Yook Ok via knockout (knees) – Round 2, 1:00 – for lightweight title
Kai Tang def. Thanh Le via unanimous decision
Saemapetch Fairtex def. Rittewada Petchyindee via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:35 (muay thai)
Keanu Subba def. Amir Khan via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:29
Martin Batur def. Paul Elliott via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 3:38
Tommy Langaker def. Renato Canuto via unanimous decision (grappling)