The highly anticipated ONE Lightweight MMA World Title main event between two-division king Christian Lee and undefeated challenger Alibeg Rasulov met an anticlimactic end after an inadvertent eye poke in the second round forced an unexpected halt to the action.
Lee showed sharper striking in the first five minutes of the contest, with Rasulov opting to counter on the back foot. The Singaporean-American star also exhibited superior speed.
However, Rasulov found a home for his overhand right in the second round and closed the gap, while Lee intelligently picked his spots.
Unfortunately, Lee’s finger got caught in Rasulov’s left eye as he attempted to frame off in the corner. During an injury timeout, the Turkish athlete was examined by the ringside physician and was deemed unable to continue fighting.
As a result, the bout ended in a no-contest ruling.
In the evening’s second World Title match, ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mayssa Bastos went the distance with American rival Danielle Kelly to retain her gold by unanimous decision.
Bastos and Kelly put on a display of elite grappling from beginning to end, as they showcased high-level technique and often negated each other’s attacks.
Just before time expired, the Brazilian star scored the only catch of the contest with a deep toe hold submission attempt and earned the nod on the judges’ scorecards.
See complete results below. For all remaining bout reports, please visit www.onefc.com.
