Christian Lee Stops Kazuki Tokudome, Calls Out Former World Champ

Former ONE Featherweight World Title challenger Christian “The Warrior” Lee promised a first-round stoppage victory at ONE: HEART OF THE LION and he delivered it.

The 20-year-old phenom, who accepted a bout with Pancrase Lightweight Champion Kazuki Tokudome on less than a week’s notice, defeated the Japanese veteran via TKO in the co-main event of their 73-kilogram catch weight bout.

Lee is known as one of the fastest starters on the ONE Championship roster, and he lived up to that reputation in front of a home crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

As soon as the action started, he stormed across the cage and launched an array of strikes at Tokudome’s head.

To counter the early flurry, the Japanese competitor secured a takedown, but it only slowed down Lee for a moment, as he was quick to work back to his feet.

From there, “The Warrior” was once again on the attack with an offensive flurry that had Tokudome on the back foot as he tried to survive the onslaught.

The Singaporean finally connected with a stinging straight right hand, which clipped Tokudome, and a second later, the Japanese veteran was on the ground trying to defend himself from a barrage of punches.

Though he predicted a submission victory, Lee got the TKO stoppage with a relentless melee of ground and pound. The referee officially called a halt to the contest at 3:07 of round one.

Afterward, Lee told Mitch Chilson in his post-match interview that the striking combination leading into the ground attack was something he specifically trained heading into the bout with Tokudome.

“We drilled it a thousand times, and hard work really does pay off,” the local favorite said.

Following the win, “The Warrior” turned his attention to former ONE Featherweight World Champion Narantungalag “Tungaa” Jadambaa in hopes of setting up a match with him in the coming months.

Lee improves his record to 10-3, and maintains his perfect 100 percent finishing rate.