"This card is massive" - Christian Lee thrilled to be a part of "a very historic" ONE 173 in Tokyo

Two-division MMA world champion Christian Lee recognizes the magnitude of the stage where he'll defend his lightweight crown, and the excitement is palpable.

At ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri, which emanates live via global pay-per-view inside Tokyo's Ariake Arena on Sunday, Nov. 16, the Hawaii-based warrior defends his lightweight world title against undefeated Turkish bruiser Alibeg Rasulov in a rematch.

In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the 27-year-old Prodigy Training Center and Evolve MMA megastar opened up about what competing on such a stacked card means to him and why defending his belt in Japan feels special.

"I'm excited to be the double champ and then defending my belt, my lightweight belt in Japan. It's exciting," Christian Lee said.

"This card is massive. It just feels like a big event and a very historic one, and I'm happy to be a part of it, and I'm just excited to be back in there."

With five world title fights spanning MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing – including Superbon vs. Masaaki Noiri unifying the featherweight kickboxing belts in the main event and Rodtang facing his mentor Nong-O for vacant flyweight Muay Thai gold – the card features the biggest names across multiple combat disciplines competing on the same night.

For the Singaporean-American megastar, who also holds the ONE welterweight MMA world title, defending his lightweight crown on such a historic card adds another layer of significance to settling his unfinished business with Rasulov after their first encounter ended in a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke.

Watch Christian Lee's full interview with SCMP below:

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Christian Lee says Alibeg Rasulov won't know what hit him at ONE 173 in Tokyo

In a separate interview with ONE Championship, Christian Lee said that he expects Rasulov to come out with a high-octane game plan.

That said, 'The Warrior' believes he is equipped with all the wisdom and tricks to outclass the Hyperion Fighters martial artist to secure yet another world title defense inside the Circle.

"He's going to come out prepared. I think he's going to come out ready to fight. But, at the end of the night, I don't think he's going to know what happened. I think that it's going to be too much for him, and I'm going to get the job done," the two-division MMA world champion offered.

Could Lee deliver a historic performance on a historic card, or will Rasulov shock the world and capture lightweight gold? Share your predictions below!

Fight fans can purchase their PPV passes for ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri here.