Kings Of The Circle: The Evolution Of ONE Lightweight MMA Champions

The ONE Lightweight MMA World Championship has always been one of the hardest belts to hold. Since the division’s launch in 2011, it has changed hands through seismic upsets and rivalries that defined eras.

No World Champion has reigned unchallenged for long, a testament to a division packed with warriors. Each era has seen titleholders rise and fall in dramatic fashion, reinforcing why lightweight is hailed as one of the most unforgiving and talent-rich weight classes in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Now, as reigning two-division ONE MMA World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee prepares to defend his lightweight crown in a rematch against Alibeg Rasulov at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri in Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on November 16, the division’s legacy feels heavier than ever.

Lee and Rasulov’s initial clash ended abruptly. An accidental eye poke left Rasulov unable to continue, forcing the bout to be called a no contest. With so much unfinished business between them, it’s the right time to retrace the roller coaster history of the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title.

The Birth Of A Division: Boku Vs. Aoki

The division’s first World Champion was crowned in 2012 when former Shooto Champion Kotetsu “No Face” Boku stunned Zorobabel Moreira at ONE: RISE OF KINGS. Boku’s boxing carried him to a third-round TKO, making him the inaugural titleholder.

But his reign lasted only half a year. In April 2013, Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki took the belt. Known for suffocating jiu-jitsu, the Japanese icon ran through challengers like Kamal Shalorus and Koji Ando, cementing himself as the face of the division.

His grip on the gold, however, lasted until a Filipino challenger rewrote the story.

Folayang’s Rise And Fall

In November 2016, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang met Aoki at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR in Singapore. Aoki’s ground game looked threatening early, but Folayang weathered the storm and then flipped the script in round three. He poured on strikes until the referee waved it off.

Folayang’s upset over Aoki didn’t just give him a belt – it made him a national sporting icon and turned Team Lakay, his gym at the time, into a household name the world could no longer overlook.

He went on to defend the World Title against Ev Ting at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY in Manila, but the fairy tale didn’t last. By the end of 2017, his reign had already slipped away.

Nguyen’s Double-Gold Era

It was Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen who brought Folayang’s first reign to a sudden halt.

After storming through the featherweight ranks and dethroning Marat “Cobra” Gafurov to take that belt, Nguyen set his sights on lightweight gold. At ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD in November 2017, he delivered again, connecting with his trademark overhand right in round two to silence Folayang and shock Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena.

That punch made the Vietnamese-Australian ONE’s first-ever two-division MMA World Champion, holding the featherweight and lightweight belts.

It was a historic achievement, but injuries cut his reign short. He eventually vacated the belt to focus on defending at featherweight, leaving the division wide open once more.

Folayang And Aoki’s Second Runs

With the throne vacant, Folayang climbed back into contention. Two wins set him up for another World Title shot, and at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS in November 2018, he outworked Amir Khan to reclaim the gold in front of his compatriots in Manila.

Meanwhile, Aoki was carving his own path back to the top, steamrolling Rasul Yakhyaev, Shannon Wiratchai, and Ting – all by first-round finishes.

The Japanese icon’s resurgence led to another crack at Folayang, and he made the most of it.

At ONE: A NEW ERA in March 2019, he submitted the Filipino hero with an arm-triangle choke in round one, reclaiming the lightweight crown in front of his home fans in Tokyo. It was his second reign – short-lived, as has so often been the case in this dynamic division.

Lee’s Ascension

At ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in May 2019, the 20-year-old Lee met Aoki. The Japanese veteran nearly ended their bout early with an armbar, but Lee wriggled free and came roaring back in the second stanza to turn the fight around.

With the TKO victory, the Singaporean-American was crowned the youngest male MMA World Champion in ONE history.

Later that year, Lee stepped in on short notice at ONE: CENTURY to face Dagi Arslanaliev in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship Final.

Despite the circumstances and Dagi’s reputation as one of the division’s most dangerous finishers, Lee put on a masterful performance and earned a unanimous decision win, adding the tournament silver belt to his resume.

Winning the Grand Prix confirmed Lee’s status as the man to beat, and he carried that momentum back into his World Title defenses. In October 2020, he stopped the late Iuri Lapicus in under three minutes, and the following April, he defeated Russian finisher Timofey Nastyukhin in the opening round.

The combination of knockout power and submission threats made Lee a nightmare matchup. He pushed further by moving up to welterweight, grabbing gold there as well and strengthening his case as one of the most naturally gifted fighters of his era.

But as always in this division, no reign lasts forever.

Ok Disrupts Reign Of ‘The Warrior’

South Korean star Ok Rae Yoon entered ONE without much fanfare, but he quickly built a resume by beating former featherweight king Gafurov and MMA legend Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez. By September 2021, he had earned his shot at Lee’s crown at ONE: REVOLUTION.

Over five taxing rounds, Ok stuffed Lee’s takedowns, countered his offense, and kept a steady pace that never dipped. When the scorecards came back in his favor, he had ended Lee’s reign – and kicked off one of the most talked-about debates in ONE history.

But the story wasn’t finished. At ONE 160 in 2022, Lee came out with fury, swarming Ok with strikes in round two to reclaim the belt.

The rivalry closed at one win each, underscoring how quickly momentum can shift in this division.

Unfinished Business At The Top

Lee’s second reign showed he still belonged at the very top, but he stepped away from competition after the heartbreaking loss of his younger sister, Victoria, in late 2022.

Two years later, he made his return at ONE Fight Night 26. The anticipation was immense, and standing across from him was Rasulov, the unbeaten Dagestani contender who had punched his ticket to a World Title shot earlier that year by defeating Ok.

Their clash delivered on the hype – until it didn’t. As round two wound down, an accidental eye poke from Lee stopped the contest in its tracks. Rasulov couldn’t go on, and the fight ended as a no contest. What had promised to be a classic instead ended unfinished.

With all the intrigue, history, and unresolved rivalries that have shaped this belt, Tokyo now plays host to the next defining chapter. At ONE 173, the lineal ONE Lightweight MMA World Championship is on the line.

Lee brings 17 wins with 16 finishes, and Rasulov enters with 14 victories including 10 stoppages, so fans can expect a clash between two of the most dangerous finishers the division has ever seen.

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