As Christian Lee prepares to step back under the bright lights for another high-stakes title defense, the reigning two-division ONE Championship titleholder has his sights set on an even larger canvas. Five years after boldly declaring himself the premier lightweight mixed martial artist on the planet—even eclipsing the legendary status of undefeated former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov—Lee is once again turning heads with his ambitions, this time setting his crosshairs directly on Nurmagomedov’s close friend, training partner, and successor at the absolute pinnacle of the sport: Islam Makhachev.
Lee is set to defend his welterweight crown this Friday in Thailand, locking horns with elite jiu-jitsu specialist Tye Ruotolo in the main event of ONE Championship’s latest blockbuster card. Yet, even on the doorstep of a dangerous and technically complex matchup, the conversation surrounding the dual-belt champion inevitably drifts toward the hypothetical collisions that captivate the imaginations of combat sports purists worldwide.
Holding titles across the exact same two weight classes where Makhachev has etched his dominance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Lee expresses supreme confidence in his ability to cross organizational lines and defeat the reigning UFC superstar.
"I feel very confident that I’m the best fighter in the world across any organization," Lee shared in an interview leading up to his title defense. "My goal, if I could choose one fight, would be to fight Islam right now. I’ll go for the welterweight belt. He’s a double champ, lightweight and welterweight, just like me but in the UFC, and he’s proven. He’s fought everyone, but he’s only fought everyone in the UFC. He hasn’t fought people outside. So if I could line up a cross-promotional fight, I would want the Islam welterweight fight right now."
The pedigree of both competitors certainly fuels the intrigue of such a fantasy matchup. Makhachev has experienced defeat just once in his illustrious professional mixed martial arts career, suffering a knockout loss to Adriano Martins nearly a decade ago in 2016. Since that lone setback, the Dagestani wrestling machine has rattled off a staggering 17 consecutive victories, setting a new promotional record for the most consecutive wins in the history of the UFC. Lee, meanwhile, has proven equally formidable within the ONE Championship ecosystem. Over his last 11 appearances under the ONE banner, Lee has suffered only a single defeat, dispatching the vast majority of his opponents by way of knockout and cementing his reputation as one of the most explosive finishers in the sport.
When asked about the tactical blueprint required to solve a puzzle as complex as Makhachev, Lee points not to a defensive shell, but to an aggressive emulation of his adversary’s own relentless style.
"Take the fight to him," Lee explained, outlining his approach. "I feel like I can catch him on the feet. I feel like I can take him down, dominate him, do everything that he does to other people. I feel like I have a different style, different skillset, and I would really love to show that one day."
The conversation around Makhachev inevitably invites comparisons to his mentor and predecessor, Khabib Nurmagomedov. While analysts frequently debate who holds the mantle as the superior fighter between the two dominant stablemates, Lee offers a measured perspective rooted in deep respect for the circumstances surrounding Nurmagomedov’s departure from active competition.
"I think that they are different types of fighters," Lee noted when assessing whether Makhachev has surpassed Nurmagomedov. "I don’t think that it’s fair to say that Islam is better than Khabib because Khabib retired because of a promise he made to his father. You have to respect that and know that he cut his own career short. He could have went on to defend his belt. He could have had a much more extensive career, but he did that based on his honor. So you gotta respect that. And with Islam, he’s his brother, his training partner over the years."
Acknowledging the distinct dynamics of their shared lineage, Lee added, "Now I’m sure that he’s different because he’s still competitive, he’s still active, but growing up, Khabib was always the big bro, he was always the guy. They’re both amazing fighters, lots of respect to both of them, but right now, Islam is the only one in the works, so he would be the guy I’m calling for."
Before any cross-promotional superfights can materialize, however, Lee must navigate a profoundly unique and immediate threat in the form of Tye Ruotolo. A generational grappling talent and decorated ONE submission grappling champion, Ruotolo has transitioned to mixed martial arts with high-level success, boasting a pristine 2-0 record in the sport secured entirely by way of submission.
Intriguingly, Ruotolo’s promotional introduction to MMA included a victory over Christian Lee’s younger brother, Adrian Lee. Reflecting on that pivotal September contest, Christian maintains that his sibling was fighting at less than 100 percent capacity due to a lingering back injury that severely limited his preparation and sparring camp. Even under adverse conditions, Christian believes Adrian delivered a commendable performance, though he firmly asserts that a fully healthy version of his brother would turn the tables in a rematch.
"I feel like his match with Adrian, he was able to take Adrian down very early, bring it into his world. His best chance of winning was to do that," Lee said. "I feel like on another night he could have won. But I feel like the improvements he’s made today, the version of a fighter that Adrian is today would beat Tye. I’m very confident in that. So I’m glad that I’ve been able to see—helping prepare Adrian for Tye, and then now preparing myself for Tye—I feel like I’m very familiar with his game, and I’m excited to see how our strategies and how our game plans line up when we get in there."
Despite the familial connection to Ruotolo’s previous opponent, Lee insists that personal vengeance has no place inside the championship environment. Emphasizing that emotional detachment is vital for professional execution, Lee views the upcoming clash purely through the lens of athletic competition and championship duty.
"There’s no room for emotion," Lee stated, dismissing the narrative of revenge. "It would be foolish to allow any additional feelings to affect him heading into the cage."
For his preparation, Lee spent valuable training time in Hawaii alongside UFC superstar Max Holloway, sharpening the tools he believes will neutralize Ruotolo’s world-class grappling prowess. Rather than anticipating hidden tactics, Lee expects a straightforward opening gambit from the jiu-jitsu standout.
"You could say that it’s easier to prepare for it in the sense that you know what to prepare for," Lee explained. "You know that he wants to grapple, his greatest strength is going to be grappling. I think he’s gonna try to land a strike, land a few punches on the way in just to engage in the grappling, but aside from that, I feel like you have to give him credit because he’s a very dangerous grappler. He’s proven that if he can bring it into the grappling world, he can do very well with almost anyone."
The core challenge, according to the champion, will be demonstrating the vast operational differences between pure grappling and a multifaceted mixed martial arts contest, particularly within the specific structural environment of ONE Championship’s ring.
"I think the key for me is to show him the difference between MMA and jiu-jitsu, and to use my MMA experience to counter his jiu-jitsu experience," Lee said. "A lot of grapplers favor the ring because it’s similar to fighting in the open mat. Every jiu-jitsu competition is in open mat, they’re comfortable with that. And when you get close to the ropes, there’s no cage there, so you can reach your hands behind the ropes and you can get the body lock. There’s a lot of a lot more advantages. But thankfully for me, I’m not just a striker fighting a grappler in this matchup. I’ve been training MMA, I’ve been training jiu-jitsu my whole life and I don’t feel like there’s gonna be an advantage in the jiu-jitsu for Tye."
As the hours tick down toward opening bell in Thailand, Lee’s focus remains squarely fixed on delivering a definitive statement. Whether discussing future aspirations against the sport’s pound-for-pound elite or breaking down the immediate tactical puzzle of a grappling savant, the champion’s ultimate objective remains unchanged.
"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," Lee concluded. "And either way, that’s going to be enough for me."
