Christian Lee’s Return to ONE Championship Spoiled by Second-Round Eye Poke – ONE Fight Night 26 Highlights

Christian Lee's Return to ONE Championship Spoiled by Second-Round Eye Poke - ONE Fight Night 26 HighlightsChristian Lee’s long-awaited return to action at ONE Fight Night 26 came to an abrupt end due to an…

Christian Lee's Return to ONE Championship Spoiled by Second-Round Eye Poke - ONE Fight Night 26 Highlights

Christian Lee’s long-awaited return to action at ONE Fight Night 26 came to an abrupt end due to an unintentional foul in the second round.

Stepping into the main event spotlight inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Lee put his ONE lightweight MMA world championship on the line against undefeated Dagestani standout Alibeg Rasulov in the evening’s highly anticipated headliner. It would be Lee’s first time competing since a November 2022 knockout of Kiamrian Abbasov to become a two-division champion — adding the promotion’s welterweight title to his collection of gold.

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Despite being away from the sport for more than two years, Lee didn’t appear to have any ring rust as he immediately caught Rasulov with a jab that knocked the Dagestani wrestler off balance. Much of the first five minutes saw Lee targeting Rasulov’s lead leg and looking to connect with his patented right hand.

Rasulov started to come alive in the second, repeatedly landing his own right hand, but his lead leg appeared to be compromised after Lee spent the majority of the first round targeting it. A closer look revealed that Rasulov had a rather nasty bruise just above his knee that was slightly obstructed by his fight gear.

As we approached the final 10 seconds of the second stanza, Lee inadvertently poked Rasulov in the eye during an exchange prompting referee Herb Dean to pause the bout. As Rasulov was checked in his corner, the ringside physician determined that he could no longer compete, forcing Dean to wave off the fight and rule it an anticlimactic no contest.

Official Result: Christian Lee vs. Alibeg Rasulov is ruled a no-contest after an inadvertent eye-poke in the second round.

Check out highlights from Christian Lee vs. Alibeg Rasulov at ONE Fight Night 26:

Mayssa Bastos Scores Late Catch Against Danielle Kelly to Retain Atomweight Title in Rematch – ONE Fight Night 26 Highlights

Mayssa Bastos Scores Late Catch Against Danielle Kelly to Retain Atomweight Title in Rematch - ONE Fight Night 26 HighlightsAfter shocking the BJJ world in August, ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion Mayssa Bastos retained her title against…

Mayssa Bastos Scores Late Catch Against Danielle Kelly to Retain Atomweight Title in Rematch - ONE Fight Night 26 Highlights

After shocking the BJJ world in August, ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion Mayssa Bastos retained her title against ex-titleholder Danielle Kelly in one of the most anticipated rematches of 2024.

Earlier this year, Bastos bested Kelly in a scrap that was — in the eyes of many — too close to call. Running it back at ONE Fight Night 26 on Friday night, Bastos and Kelly picked up right where they left off, going after one another in another entertaining 10-minute showdown.

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It appeared as though Kelly was on track to reclaim the 26 pounds of gold, but with 20 seconds to go, Bastos exploded and snatched Kelly’s leg. Cinching in a leg lock, Bastos was awarded the first and only catch of the contest. Unable to do anything other than defend, Kelly was forced to watch time run out on her chance to become ONE’s first-ever two-time grappling queen.

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Official Result: Mayssa Bastos def. Danielle Kelly via unanimous decision to retain the ONE atomweight submission grappling world championship.

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Check out highlights from Danielle Kelly vs. Mayssa Bastos at oNE Fight Night 26: