‘Losing Is Not In My Plans’ – Alibeg Rasulov Expects To Out-Wrestle Christian Lee And Claim MMA World Title
Undefeated Dagestani destroyer Alibeg Rasulov is confident he has a clear path to victory against reigning ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee.
The pair will throw down for Lee’s lightweight belt on December 6 in U.S. primetime in the main event of ONE Fight Night 26 on Prime Video, live from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Widely recognized as one of MMA’s top rising stars, Rasulov made his promotional debut in July at ONE Fight Night 23, defeating former lightweight MMA kingpin Ok Rae Yoon after five grueling rounds of action.
That victory extended the 31-year-old’s professional record to a pristine 14-0 and secured him a crack at 26 pounds of gold.
Rasulov told onefc.com that he fully intends to keep the ball rolling:
“I have a zero-loss record, and losing is not in my plans.”
The upcoming World Title challenger amassed that unblemished record on the strength of his explosive takedown game, suffocating top control, and ruthless finishing instincts on the mat.
Like other Dagestani-bred fighters, Rasulov started wrestling when he was young and has only continued to fine-tune his grappling as he’s grown older.
He explained:
“Wrestling is my base, and I like this sport very much. I think everybody knows that very good wrestlers come from Dagestan. We start at a very early age. We get used to competing, fighting.
“It’s in our blood. In general, we love to wrestle. I mostly wrestle in all my fights. This is my base, and this base helps me win fights.”
Rasulov is sure that his wrestling-based attack will simply be too much for Lee to handle.
He’s quick to point out that the defending titleholder is returning from a two-year hiatus. Given that time away, Rasulov says “The Warrior” won’t be prepared for the relentless pace and unending pressure he’ll bring on December 6:
“I think that Christian Lee has not yet met an opponent like me. My wrestling is better than his. I will force my wrestling on him. He has had a long layoff, and I think he will get tired more than me. I just have to force my game on him.
“Of course, I’m aiming for that belt, and he’s going to have a really hard time in this fight.”
Rasulov: ‘I Will Become Recognizable If I Become The Champion’
Whether he gets the job done with his wrestling, his vicious clinch game, or his ever-evolving striking, Alibeg Rasulov is determined to leave Bangkok as the newly crowned ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion – and with his perfect record safely intact.
He said:
“Yes, of course, my main goal now is to win the belt and, of course, stay undefeated.”
Even though he’s a modest and humble competitor, Rasulov admits that he’s thought about the fame and acclaim that would come with the golden belt.
Being the face of the lightweight MMA division in the world’s largest martial arts organization, he added, would be life-changing:
“ONE Championship is a very good worldwide organization, well-known by everybody.
“Becoming a champion in this organization is very prestigious. I will become recognizable if I become the champion.”
