Christian Lee is now a two-division ONE Championship titleholder after stopping Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime 4 in Singapore.
Lee, moving up from the ONE lightweight (170 pounds) division he rules, battled exhaustion and near-stoppage in the opening frame to rally for TKO at 4:20 of Round 4.
Abbasov weighed in at 186. 25 pounds, over the limit for the welterweight (185 pounds) title cutoff and was subsequently stripped of the belt. Only Lee was allowed to win the belt if victorious, and initially, it appeared as though he had bitten off more than he could chew against his heavier opponent.
Punches didn’t have much effect on Abbasov early in the fight, and his counters repeatedly hurt the lightweight champ. Lee was dropped cold by a left hook in the first round. After he recovered to his feet, the challenger reeled backwards. Referee Herb Dean gave Lee a wide latitude, setting up the momentum shift as Abbasov tired.
The brother of Angela Lee, ONE’s atomweight champion, was not in the best shape during the intense fight. As the fight progressed from the chaotic opening, both men saw their output drop and the action became more rapid than usual. Lee was displaying his heart as he continued pressing the action. His punches were ineffective as his elbows proved to be more effective as he crushed half a dozen of his opponent’s opponents with his elbows.
Abbasov could finally take no more as he hit the canvas, and Lee took mount to finish off the job, raining down shots until Dean intervened.
Kiamrian Abbasov drops the HAMMER on Christian Lee in Round 1! He is still standing!
Tune in NOW to catch the rest of ONE on Prime Video 4 — LIVE and FREE in the U.S. and Canada with a Prime Video subscription! pic.twitter.com/jKgRKTdwOK
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 19, 2022
@ChristianLeeMMA‘s FIRING BACK in Round 4! #ONEonPrimeVideo4
Watch live on @primevideo
Watch live on ONE YouTube
Watch live on https://t.co/eBUfsOlZOd pic.twitter.com/malMdf6OBT— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 19, 2022
DOUBLE CHAMP Lightweight king @ChristianLeeMMA TKOs Kiamrian Abbasov to win the ONE Welterweight World Title! #ONEonPrimeVideo4 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/vnlzbu9mlq
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 19, 2022
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/19/23467620/one-on-prime-4-video-christian-lee-rallies-stops-kiamrian-abbasov-to-become-champ-champ?rand=96749