Tag: ONE Championship 160

Christian Lee closes door on ONE Championship title trilogy against Rae Yoon Ok

Christian Lee doesn’t see the need for a third fight against Rae Yoon Ok.

If it’s up to [autotag]Christian Lee[/autotag], 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.

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ONE Championship 160: Best photos from Singapore

Check out these photos highlighting the action from ONE Championship 160 at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Check out these photos highlighting the action from ONE Championship 160 at Singapore Indoor Stadium. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship)

ONE Championship 160 results: Christian Lee’s barrage of (legal) knees to grounded Rae Yoon Ok earns him fourth title

It was a violent ending to ONE Championship 160 as Christian Lee took back the title when he blasted Rae Yoon Ok.

[autotag]Christian Lee[/autotag] is a ONE Championship titleholder once again.

At ONE Championship 160, Lee (16-4) snatched the title from champion [autotag]Rae Yoon Ok[/autotag] (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)

  • Kantharaj Shankar Agasa def. Thales Nakassu via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:55

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ONE Championship 160 results: Tang Kai outworks Thanh Le to claim featherweight title

China has its first major MMA male champion.

China has its first major MMA male champion as [autotag]Tang Kai[/autotag] outworked [autotag]Thanh Le[/autotag] over the course of 25 minutes to claim the featherweight title Friday at ONE Championship 160 in Singapore.

The judges scored the fight a unanimous decision for Tang, who joins former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili as the only two Chinese fighters to win major MMA titles.

It was the first time both Tang, 26, and Le, 36, went into deep waters. Tang (15-2) hadn’t fought past the second round and Le (13-3) past the third prior to ONE Championship 160.

Tang and Le put on a show, but Tang’s crisp striking proved to be the difference. Tang especially found success with lead leg kicks throughout the fight, which caused visible damage to Le’s thighs and calves. It didn’t matter if Le stood orthodox or southpaw, Tang tenderized both sides.

Even so, Tang was never out of danger as Le was relentless with his attack. Le had his moments, but Tang proved to be elusive in avoiding all of the big punches. He was effective with his counter-striking.

Tang managed to drop Le twice – once with a leg kick and once with a hard counter-punch.

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Thanh Le will let fighting do his talking vs. ‘huge danger’ Kai Tang at ONE Championship 160

Featherweight champion Thanh Le previews his title fight against Kai Tang at ONE Championship 160.

In the buildup to ONE Championship 160, challenger [autotag]Kai Tang[/autotag] has done all the trash talking. As for featherweight champion [autotag]Thanh Le[/autotag], you might call him a quiet assassin.

“You tell me what’s a little more scary: the guy that’s calm, quiet, comes out, and kills or the one that runs his mouth a little bit?” Le told MMA Junkie Radio. “I know which one I’m worried about. …

“There is not hate or anger that needs to get me fired up to fight. I could wake up in the morning, go play with my daughter in the yard, somebody comes into the room randomly, and I could literally take them out, assassinate them, do what I need to do. Take care of my family, protect my family, then go right back to play.”

That’s Thanh Le for you in a nutshell.

Le, 36, is set to try and defend his title for a second time when he takes on 26-year-old Tang on Friday at ONE Championship 160 in Singapore.

Le (13-2) won the title in October 2020 when he submitted then-champion Martin Nguyen. His first title defense was this past March, a ground-and-pound TKO finish of grappling specialist Garry Tonon in just 56 seconds.

Le said he takes pride in the fact that he “didn’t find a way” to the title and instead “fought the best guys I could fight” to earn it.

In Tang (14-2), Le faces a much younger striking specialist who’s been on a roll with nine consecutive wins – the past three by knockout. Le acknowledges the danger Tang presents and sees some similarities in how they fight.

“If you zoom out enough, conceptually I think he brings a very similar game to what I do,” Le said. “I think our tools are different, and our approach on some of that is different, but he does a good job staying safe. He does a good job with movement. He moves his feet very well, which isn’t very common in this game honestly. But, yeah, he does standout. He has great, powerful and sharp striking, which is a great combination for him along with his feet. … A huge danger and very different, in some ways better and some ways worse than all the fighters I’ve fought before.”

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Photos: ONE on Prime Video 1 and ONE Championship 160 press conference

Check out these photos from the ONE on Prime Video 1 and ONE Championship 160 pre-fight press conferences in Singapore.

Check out these photos from the ONE on Prime Video 1 and ONE Championship 160 pre-fight press conferences in Singapore, including fighter faceoffs. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship)

How to watch ONE Championship 160: Ok vs. Lee 2 – Fight card, start time, live stream

ONE Championship is back Friday with ONE Championship 160: Ok vs. Lee 2, which features five MMA fights, including two title bouts.

ONE Championship is back Friday with ONE Championship 160: Ok vs. Lee, which features five MMA fights, including two title bouts.

Here’s how to watch the ONE Championship 160 card from Singapore, where lightweight champion Rae Yoon Ok (16-3) takes on former champ Christian Lee (15-4) and featherweight titleholder Thanh Le (13-2) meets challenger Tang Kai (14-2).