The final press conference for “ONE on Prime Video 4: Abbasov vs. Lee” went down at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and the fighters had plenty to say ahead of Friday night’s card.
ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong opened proceedings by noting that the organization’s partnership with Amazon Prime has already been a roaring success thus far.
But Sityodtong, as always, has even bigger plans for the promotion’s foray into the U.S. market.
“I recently spoke at the World Congress of Sports. Marie Donahue, the Global Head of Sports for Amazon, came out and said, literally, that the partnership (with ONE Championship) has blown away her numbers. I think it’s just the beginning. I have much bigger ambitions,” he declared.
“Until (ONE Championship is) No. 1 in the U.S., I won’t rest, my team won’t rest, and our athletes won’t rest. These are the very best martial artists on the planet.”
In the ONE on Prime Video 4 main event this Friday, ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee (16-4) steps up a weight class to challenge Kiamrian Abbasov (23-5) for the chance to add the ONE welterweight world title to his trophy case.
Lee currently holds the records for most wins (16), finishes (15) and knockouts (11) in ONE Championship history, and the Singaporean-American superstar made it clear that he plans to continue that trend.
However, he knows that his Kyrgyz foe will not go down without a fight.
“I absolutely plan on finishing this fight. In no way am I looking past Abbasov, I have a lot of respect for him and think he’s a great fighter,” Lee said. “But every time I step into the ring, I’m looking to finish my opponent as quickly as I can. I’m ready to go all five (rounds), but I’m planning to get it done within three.”
On the other hand, Abbasov was characteristically blunt.
“Brazen” has been consistent in his message so far in the lead-up to ONE on Prime Video 4, and it was no different at the press conference.
“I always said this before, I think that Christian Lee is a good person and a good fighter, but I believe he should stay in his lane.”
In the co-main event, another titleholder will step up in weight with the hope of joining the exclusive “champ-champ” club.
ONE strawweight muay Thai world champion Joseph Lasiri will face off against flyweight king Rodtang Jitmuangnon with the Thai superstar’s gold on the line.
The Italian underdog previously stated his desire to make the ONE flyweight muay Thai world champion angry in the fight. When quizzed on exactly how he plans to achieve that, “The Hurricane” laughed it off.
“Because of my face. Look at my face, it’s too beautiful. He will be angry, for sure,” he quipped.
Lasiri also assured fans that he is more than ready for the biggest fight of his career.
“(Rodtang is) dangerous for you, not dangerous for me,” he stated. “I am sparring every day and do this for a lot of time. Like I said before, life is a challenge, this is the biggest challenge I can have. I’m so excited to do that. When you challenge yourself, you always win.”
Lasiri captured his strawweight crown in an upset win over Prajanchai PK.Saenchai back in May. The 31-year-old shocked the world by forcing the modern-day legend to quit on his stool after three rounds of action.
The strawweight king plans to surprise fans all around the globe once again and replicate that same result on Friday night.
“The day before the fight, I will knock on the door to Rodtang. I will say, ‘After round three, stay seated, don’t get up, stay on your stool,’” the Italian offered.
For his part, Rodtang was not drawn into the talk from his opponent.
Also, when quizzed about a potential super-fight with ONE bantamweight muay Thai world champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, “The Iron Man” insisted that he is only focused on the flyweight ranks for now and his next assignment against Lasiri.
“I want to stay in my division and continue to fight until I am satisfied with my division,” the Thai superstar said. “I’ll think about moving up weight classes then.”
Find out what happens on Friday. Fans can watch “ONE on Prime Video 4: Abbasov vs. Lee” live and for free with an Amazon Prime membership at 8 p.m. ET.
