Christian Lee, Yuya Wakamatsu sound off after ONE 173 victories in Tokyo

Finishing fights separates champions from contenders. Christian Lee proved this Saturday night at ONE 173 inside Tokyo’s packed arena, delivering a second-round stoppage that erased all questions.

Two-division ONE MMA World Champion Christian Lee retained his crown with a TKO victory over previously unbeaten Alibeg Rasulov at ONE 173 on Saturday, November 16, inside Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The 27-year-old Singaporean-American handed the Turkish sensation his first career loss to successfully defend his ONE Lightweight MMA World Title.

Lee weathered an early storm when Rasulov surprised him by shooting for a takedown. The Prodigy Training Center representative showcased composure on the mat, returned to his feet, and dissected the challenger with surgical precision. After getting tagged early in round two, Rasulov desperately shot for another takedown. But Lee sprawled perfectly, locked in a tight D’Arce choke, and unleashed brutal grounded knees that forced the referee to intervene.

The finish earned Lee a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong. With 17 stoppages across 18 career victories, the two-division king has established himself as one of MMA’s most prolific finishers.

“I love the ONE Championship rule set. I think that knees to a grounded opponent is MMA in the purest sense. The sport was designed to figure out who the best fighter in the world is across any discipline,” Lee said.

Yuya Wakamatsu admits Joshua Pacio proved tougher than expected at ONE 173

Yuya Wakamatsu delivered a statement performance in his first ONE Flyweight MMA World Title defense. The 30-year-old Japanese fighter stopped ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua Pacio in the second round, denying the Filipino legend’s bid for two-division supremacy.

The finish mirrored Lee’s earlier sequence. After dropping Pacio with an overhand right, Wakamatsu trapped the challenger in a headlock and unleashed unforgiving knees to the head. But the path to finishing the strawweight king nearly ended in disaster during the opening round.

Wakamatsu’s aggressive nature left him exposed. Pacio caught the defending champion with a devastating left hook that dropped “Little Piranha,” forcing him to dig deep in survival mode as the Filipino swiftly moved in to capitalize.

The Tribe Tokyo MMA affiliate admitted Pacio’s strength caught him off guard. Wakamatsu finally understood why his opponent had dominated the strawweight division for years, even when moving up in weight.

“No, I didn’t feel [the weight difference] at all. He was very strong, especially in the grappling department,” Wakamatsu said.

“He dropped me with a left hook, but then he came to grapple, and I was still clearing the cobwebs, but his wrestling felt very strong. But I came in prepared to leave it all out in the first round, and when I was able to get to the side of the turtle [position], I was throwing ground and pound as hard as I could,” he said.