Christian Lee vows to dominate UFC's Makhachev in cross-promotion callout

Christian Lee, the two-division champion of global MMA promotion ONE Championship, has declared he can dominate Islam Makhachev — one of the UFC's elite fighters. The bold claim is likely to raise eyebrows, however, given the recognized gap in roster depth and competition level between the two organizations.

Lee told MMA Fighting on Friday (Korean Standard Time) that he is confident he is the best fighter in the world regardless of promotion. "If I could pick one fight right now, I'd want to fight Makhachev for the welterweight title," he said.

Lee, the reigning ONE lightweight and welterweight champion, directed his challenge at Makhachev, who has held titles in the same two weight classes in the UFC. "Makhachev has fought everyone, but they've all been UFC fighters," Lee said. "He hasn't fought anyone from another organization." Lee called for a cross-promotion matchup between the two.

Lee went further, outlining exactly how he would win. "I can land strikes on the feet, and I can take him down and dominate him," he said. "Everything he's done to other fighters, I can do to him."

A straightforward comparison of the two fighters' records is difficult, however. The UFC is the world's premier MMA stage, packed with elite talent, while ONE operates in a different competitive environment with a different roster. Dominant performances inside ONE do not necessarily translate to competitiveness against the UFC's very best.

Makhachev has won 17 consecutive bouts since a KO loss to Adriano Martins in 2016, setting a UFC record for the longest winning streak. Having dismantled world-class opponents across two weight classes, Lee's confidence — viewed objectively — does appear excessive.

That said, Lee is no pushover. Korean fans know him well from his rivalry with South Korean lightweight standout Ok Rae-yoon. Lee lost the ONE lightweight title to Ok by decision in September 2021, but reclaimed it in their August 2022 rematch, stopping Ok by TKO just one minute into the second round. He went on to capture the welterweight title as well, becoming a two-division champion.

Lee has Chinese-Singaporean heritage on his father's side and Korean-Canadian heritage on his mother's side, making him a fighter of Korean descent. His full name — Christian Seung-yong Lee — includes the Korean given name Seung-yong. Lee currently lives in Hawaii and competes representing Singapore, home of ONE Championship's headquarters, where he has established himself as a franchise star.

Before any cross-promotion dream can materialize, Lee's immediate obstacle is jiu-jitsu specialist Tye Ruotolo of the United States. Lee defends his ONE lightweight title against Ruotolo in the main event of ONE: The Inner Circle 37 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday.

Ruotolo, the ONE welterweight submission grappling champion, has won both of his MMA bouts by submission since transitioning to the sport. He also defeated Lee's younger brother Adrian Lee in September last year.

Lee trained alongside UFC star Max Holloway in Hawaii ahead of the bout. "Ruotolo is a dangerous grappler, but I've trained MMA and jiu-jitsu my whole life," Lee said. "I'm going to show the difference between MMA and jiu-jitsu."