Christian Lee says he would dominate Islam Makhachev ahead of ONE title defence

Christian Lee, a two-weight ONE Championship champion, wants a cross-promotional fight with UFC double champion Islam Makhachev at welterweight. First he puts a ONE title on the line against Tye Ruotolo in Thailand on Friday.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Thu 5 Nov, 21:16 UK · Updated Thu 5 Nov, 21:24 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Post by @ONEChampionship on X

Christian Lee has named Islam Makhachev as the fighter he most wants to face. The ONE Championship star said he would beat the UFC double champion by doing to him what Makhachev does to everyone else.

Lee holds ONE titles at lightweight and welterweight, the two divisions in which Makhachev has won UFC belts. He said he would move for Makhachev's welterweight title in a cross-promotional fight, and argued that Makhachev has proven himself only against UFC opposition. Lee said: “My goal, if I could choose one fight, would be to fight Islam right now.” Makhachev's only MMA defeat was a knockout by Adriano Martins in 2016. He has won 17 straight fights since, the longest winning run in UFC history. Lee has lost once in his past 11 fights in ONE, knocking out all but one of his opponents.

Lee believes he can take the fight to Makhachev, both standing and on the mat. He said: “I feel like I can take him down, dominate him, do everything that he does to other people.” Five years ago Lee called himself the world's best lightweight, ahead of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He would not rank Makhachev above his long-time teammate and friend, saying they are different fighters and that Nurmagomedov cut his own career short to honour a promise to his father. Makhachev is still active, Lee added, so he is the one being called out.

Before any of that, Lee puts a ONE title on the line against Tye Ruotolo in the main event of The Inner Circle 37 on Friday. Ruotolo is a decorated jiu-jitsu competitor and ONE grappling champion who has won both of his MMA fights by submission. The first of those wins came against Lee's younger brother, Adrian Lee, in September 2025.

Lee said Adrian was carrying a back injury that night that stopped him sparring, but still performed well, and that Ruotolo won by taking him down early. Lee said he helped prepare his brother for Ruotolo and now feels familiar with his game. He added that there is no room for emotion and no question of revenge driving him.

Lee has trained in Hawaii with UFC star Max Holloway for the defence. He expects Ruotolo to throw strikes only to close the distance and look for grappling. Lee said the key would be to use his MMA experience against Ruotolo's jiu-jitsu. He acknowledged that many grapplers like fighting in a ring, but said his own lifelong jiu-jitsu training would leave Ruotolo with no advantage on the ground.

Lee said: “The way that I fight, the way that I’m preparing to fight, I plan to knock him out cold or put him to sleep.”

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Islam Makhachev Max Holloway