Christian Lee Silences Critics, Regains Lightweight Title At ONE 160

Christian Lee delivered on his promise to regain the ONE lightweight championship and lay the controversy from his initial encounter against South Korean rival Ok Rae Yoon to rest.

Lee, 24, walked out of the 12,000-seater Singapore Indoor Stadium with an intricately-crafted belt around his waist as he obliterated Ok within two rounds of their headlining duel at ONE 160 on Friday, August 26.

Unlike in their first meeting where Ok was able to put the fight of his life, Lee made sure in the rematch that he would never give his arch-nemesis an inch as the Singaporean-American challenger pummeled the champion from the get-go.

Lee bombarded Ok with a series of solid right hands and even staggered the South Korean with a thunderous head kick.

Although Ok managed to survive the onslaught in the first round, Lee knew that he was moments away from recapturing the world title he lost in September 2021.

As soon as he came out of his corner in the second round, Lee blasted Ok with a high kick, prompting him to move forward and land a hard overhand right that instantaneously decked his opponent.

Seeing Ok's hands planted on the canvass, Lee didn't think twice to go for the kill as he drilled a flurry of knees to the head that forced referee Justin Brown to step in and call a halt to the action at the 1:00 mark of Round Two.

Lee—who upgraded his professional record to 16-4 with the win over Ok—was able to prove his point after being on the receiving end of criticisms from fans and pundits for disputing the unanimous decision victory of the South Korean against him nearly a year ago

"There was a lot of preparation going into this fight," Lee told color commentator Mitch Chilson. "I couldn't have done it without my team. Best support team in the world. You mix with that with all the work I've put in, that's what you get."

"I thought I won it at 50%," he added. "This is me at 100%. I calmed it down a little bit. We laid out a game plan and I stuck to it."

For his flawless performance opposite Ok (16-4), Lee received a $50,000 bonus from company head honcho Chatri Sityodtong.

Tang Kai Oustrikes Thanh Le

Tang Kai will forever be remembered in the annals of mixed martial arts history as the first Chinese male competitor to win a world championship in a major organization.

The 26-year-old native of Hunan, China attained the historical feat in the co-headliner of ONE 160 by outclassing Thanh Le over the course of five rounds to claim the coveted featherweight title by way of clear-cut unanimous decision.

Known for his hard-hitting style inside the cage, Tang showcased a different facet of his overall game when he opted to take a more calculated approach that allowed him to break down Le brick by brick for 25 minutes.

Acknowledging the danger that Le could put him through by engaging in an all-out trade with the defending champion, Tang intelligently bided his time, patiently looked for openings, and diligently relied on his vast menu of tenacious striking options.

From bell to bell, Tang toyed Le with a plethora of devastating low kicks that helped him contain the signature elusiveness of the Vietnamese-American early in the fight.

As the punishing kicks started to leave a horrid mark on the lead leg of Le, the champion had a sense of urgency and began to swing for the fences in an attempt to turn the tide.

However, Tang simply waded through heavy fire, tore into his opponent's defensive guard with his patented left hook, and consistently peppered Le with a torrent of leg kicks.

In the fourth round, the challenger utilized his stiff jabs to keep Le at bay while bombing away with heavy artillery.

When Le moved in to close the distance, Tang responded by inflicting more damage on his cage counterpart's swelling calves and thighs.

As the championship clash went to the fifth and final stanza, Tang continued to stand right where Le thought he had his best chance and evaded any serious offense that his dangerous foe could offer.

Tang tried his best to fight back the tears when the gold-plated strap was awarded to him following his proclamation as the newly-minted ONE featherweight champion.

With the dominant victory over Le, Tang is now riding high on an impressive 10-match winning streak with an improved win-loss slate of 15-2.

Meanwhile, Le dropped to 13-3 and tasted his first defeat since May 2018.

Explosive Undercard Matches

In a Muay Thai bantamweight clash, Saemapetch Fairtex added Rittewada Petchyindee to his highlight-reel of knockouts as he effortlessly shut the lights off on his Thai compatriot in the second round with a vicious jab-straight combination to pocket an additional $50,0000.

Keanu Subba's career resurgence continued at ONE 160 as he pulled off an upset against former lightweight title contender Amir Khan in a featherweight matchup, thwarting the Singaporean in the very first round.

Meanwhile, Martin Batur had a promotional debut to remember as he shrugged off a lackluster start and then mounted a storybook comeback to spoil Paul Elliott's sophomore appearance.

Batur's come-from-behind stoppage of Elliot in the first round was rewarded with a $50,000 bonus.

In a submission-grappling lightweight battle between newcomers, Tommy Langaker earned a $50,000 bonus by turning in a dominant performance opposite Renato Canuto to author a unanimous decision win.

ONE 160 kicked off on an exciting note as Kantharaj Agasa made quick work of Thales Nakassu, scoring a technical knockout in the opening salvo of the curtain-raising contest.