ONE 173 post-fight breakdown: Two-division champ Christian Lee reaffirms greatness in surgical destruction of challenger Alibeg Rasulov

Two-division ONE world champion Christian Lee faced early adversity against Alibeg Rasulov in their lightweight MMA world title rematch at ONE 173 over the weekend.

However, ‘The Warrior’ responded like a champion would and systematically retained his 26 pounds of gold.

Rasulov, who was eager to keep his undefeated record intact, shot out of a cannon in round 1. The Turkish powerhouse surprised Lee with an early single-leg takedown.

He successfully got the Singaporean-American on his back and looked to impose the same gruelling Dagestani-style that has been dominating the MMA spheres.

But Lee kept calm under the attack, methodically breaking Rasulov's grips and defending his ground and pound.

With zero panic against a brutish foe known to overwhelm opponents, Lee got back to his feet and asserted his dominance.

The 27-year-old double champ worked behind his textbook jab, with each combination flowing and increasing his confidence.

Rasulov tried to keep up with his own striking but quickly understood he was outmatched.

The challenger returned to his bread-and-butter, initiating clinch exchanges in hopes of getting another takedown.

But this time, Lee already had him read like a book and stuffed his attempts. By round 2, the cerebral titleholder had captured Rasulov's rhythm and patterns.

Another punch combination startled the 32-year-old, forcing him to shoot for another takedown in desperation.

Lee saw it from a mile away. He countered with a beautiful headlock lock which he turned into a D'Arce choke attempt.

After blocking all points of escape, Lee unleashed a brutal symphony of knees to the head of his grounded opponent.

The assault was relentless, and the end was inevitable.

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Official result: Christian Lee defeats Alibeg Rasulov via TKO at 2:32 of round two to retain the ONE Lightweight MMA World Championship

Christian Lee knew he was the superior fighter over Alibeg Rasulov even after the inconclusive ending of their initial encounter.

Now, he simply showcased it to the whole world just to erase any speck of doubt.

Lee let his actions do the talking, like he always does, and left zero space for debate.

That nearly-flawless victory cemented his place among the best pound-for-pound martial artists in the world.

The numbers back it up. He has the most wins (18) and most finishes (17) in ONE Championship history.

At 27 years old, Lee is at the peak of his powers and is still growing with each performance.