“A Direct Path” – OK Rae Yoon Eyes ONE Interim Gold at ONE Fight Night 23 as a Setup for Christian Lee Bout

Former title holder Ok Rae Yoon is on a mission to earn a World Title trilogy fight against ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee.

First, though, he’ll have to get past undefeated Turkish sensation Alibeg Rasulov in the main event of ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video on July 5.

The two are set to battle for the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title that night live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

How has Ok Rae Yoon fared in his recent fights at ONE?

After defeating former featherweight kingpin Marat Gafurov and American superstar Eddie Alvarez to begin his ONE tenure, Ok then scored a stunning upset victory over Lee to claim the lightweight MMA crown, marking the biggest win of the South Korean’s career.

Eleven months later, though, Ok would lose his 26 pounds of gold in a rematch with “The Warrior” at ONE 160.

The 33-year-old has since bounced back to the win column with an impressive victory over powerful wrestler Lowen Tynanes to earn a shot at interim gold, while Lee has gone on to capture the ONE Welterweight MMA World Title and has otherwise remained on the sidelines.

Through it all, Ok hasn’t stopped thinking about a rubber match with his former foe.

While he’s excited to take on a supremely talented and dangerous opponent in Rasulov, he sees the Turkish standout as a stepping stone to his ultimate goal – a trilogy fight with Lee.

The former champ opens up about a fight with Lee

Now just days away from his main event clash at ONE Fight Night 23, Ok opened up about another potential fight against “The Warrior”, “I have to admit that I see this fight as a direct path back to facing Christian again. I sometimes think more about him than my upcoming opponent. Of course, I fully understand that Alibeg is a powerful and formidable opponent, but I do think about my desire to fight Christian again. 

“For that to happen, I need a good reason, and that would be defeating a 14-0 fighter in Alibeg. I am studying Alibeg closely and preparing for him accordingly.”