12/7/24: Christian Lee's MMA Return Ends In No Contest

Also: Previews of today's UFC and OKTAGON lineups.

Welcome to a Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue has a quick rundown of the results from last night’s ONE and LFA cards, plus a preview of the two major MMA events taking place today. Let’s dig in.

Eye Poke Forces No Contest Result In Christian Lee vs. Alibeg Rasulov ONE Title Fight

A competitive title fight between the returning Christian Lee and undefeated contender Alibeg Rasulov had an unsatisfying result on Friday night.

An unintentional eye poke from Lee in the closing moments of the bout’s second round took Rasulov out of the fight and caused the contest to end in a no-contest. The unfortunate result closed out ONE Championship’s last “Fight Night” card of the year, which took place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The sudden stoppage due to an accidental eye poke ended what was a close fight on the feet in its earlier moments. While Lee found success as the more active and advancing fighter in stand-up exchanges, Rasulov answered back with his own impactful shots to make the bout a back-and-forth battle. The chin of both fighters was on display throughout, as they both consumed big blows without finding themselves in significant trouble.

“To my opponent, very tough,” Lee said in his post-fight interview. “Sorry about the eye poke. It was completely unintentional, that is now how I wanted the fight to go. I do believe that I was on track to winning the fight, and I would have loved to continue it. So I’m sure that we’ll have a rematch set soon, I’d like to get back in there against him once he’s healed up.”

Friday’s card was set to be Lee’s return to the ONE ring, appearing for the first time since late 2022. He was previously seen picking up belts at both 170 and 185-pounds, avenging a 2021 loss to Ok Rae Yoon then moving up a weight class to defeat Kiamrian Abbasov.

The long-time ONE talent noted afterward that he is expecting a third child soon, calling into question when he might next be available for a title fight.

Rasulov came into this weekend with an impressive undefeated record of 14 wins. The Turkish talent beat former champ Ok in his ONE debut earlier this year, getting by the Korean vet in a unanimous decision result.

Earlier in the evening, Reece McLaren shut down two-division title aspirations for Jarred Brooks, out-landing him en route to a split decision result. The fight was Brooks’ first bantamweight appearance since 2017, moving up from his typical weight class of 125 pounds.

Here are the quick results from Friday’s show in Thailand:

Main Card (8:00PM EST / 8:00AM ICT) (Amazon Prime Video)
Bout 11: Christian Lee vs. Alibeg Rasulov via No Contest, Accidental Eye Poke (ONE MMA Lightweight Championship) (170 lbs)
Bout 10: Kongthroanee Sor Sommai def. Nakrob Fairtex via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai)
Bout 9: Mayssa Bastos def. Danielle Kelly via Decision, Unanimous (ONE Grappling Atomweight Championship) (115 lbs)
Bout 8: Reece McLaren def. Jarred Brooks via Decision, Split
Bout 7: Elias Mahmoudi def. Denis Puris via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:58) (Muay Thai)
Bout 6: Yuya Wakamatsu def. Gilbert Nakatani via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Shamil Gasanov def. Halil Amir via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Cole Abate def. Shinya Aoki via Submission, Heel Hook (RD 1, 2:25) (Grappling)
Bout 3: Jon Di Bella def. Rui Botelho via Decision, Unanimous (Kickboxing)
Bout 2: Dante Leon def. Bruno Pucci via Submission, Triangle Armbar (RD 1, 3:01) (Grappling)
Bout 1: Thongpoon P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Danial Williams via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:10) (Muay Thai)

Richie Miranda Out-Works Short-Notice Opponent Hugo Oyarzun At LFA 198

While not exiting this weekend with an LFA title around his waist, Richie Miranda can at least say he has another competitive regional victory under his belt.

Miranda overcame short-notice opponent Hugo Oyarzun in the main event of LFA 198 on Friday night, scoring a unanimous decision result from The Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce, California, USA.

Miranda, who was originally expected to challenge LFA Lightweight Champion Richie Lewis in the show’s co-main event spot, was instead given a three-round bout after Lewis withdrew from the card due to an injury.

His bout was also elevated to the main event after LFA Featherweight Champion Elijah Johns withdrew from his headlining five-round clash against Lerryan Douglas due to illness, leaving the show without a title fight in the lineup.

Miranda started strong against Oyarzun, but by the end found himself gutting out a close decision result to keep his winning streak alive.

Miranda’s best round was easily the first, as he got Oyarzun to the ground early to pursue a rear naked choke. While Oyarzun never seemed to be in significant trouble, he spent a large portion of the round defending himself and never found time to put together his own moments.

Oyarzun was able to climb back into the fight by the second frame, scoring a takedown of his own and moving into side control. Oyarzun finally found his own success, but it wasn’t the one-sided round that was seen by Miranda earlier in the fight. Miranda was able to reverse the position late in the round and end on top.

The fight potentially came down to the third and final frame, where the grinding style of Miranda kept him ahead. Miranda kept Oyarzun against the cage in body lock positions for a large portion of the round, staying active with punches and knees while controlling the fight in those spots.

With the scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27, Miranda walked away with the win after 15 minutes of fighting.

Miranda has now picked up four consecutive wins in just over a year’s time.

“I feel like I’m ready for the next level,” said Miranda during his post-fight interview. “Of course, I wanted a finish in a dominant fashion today, but my opposition was also a tough guy. I still went out there and dominated. I felt like I only got hit a couple of times and gave up a little positions, but still dominated most of the fight.”

Oyarzun was coming back after suffering a split decision loss to Marco Antonio Elpidio in Mexico earlier this year.

The co-main event of the night saw grappling ace Bea Mesquita pick up yet another quick submission win in MMA, putting away Fernanda Araujo in the second round with a rear naked choke. She now has a trio of wins in her rookie year as a pro.

Here are the quick results from LFA’s last card of the year:

Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 9: Richie Miranda def. Hugo Oyarzun via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Bea Mequita def. Fernanda Araujo via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 4:21)
Bout 7: Chris Mecate def. Shaheen Santana via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:18)
Bout 6: Sidney Trillo def. Stephanie Nayen via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Ilay Barzilay def. Kohl Laren via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Arthur Barros vs. Ty Miller via No Contest, Accidental Eye Poke (RD 1, 3:30)
Preliminary Card
Bout 3: James Romero def. Jake Woodley via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 1, 0:57)
Bout 2: Elizabeth Rodriguez def. Mariana Piccolo via Decision, Split
Bout 1: Aline David def. Charlotte Craig via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:16)

Previews

Kai Asakura Looks To Introduce Himself With UFC Title Win Against Alexandre Pantoja

On Saturday night, a not-insignificant chunk of the MMA world will be exposed to Kai Asakura for the first time.

If you don’t live in Japan, aren’t one of the diehard MMA viewers who watch overseas cards in the middle of the night or simply only view the sport’s biggest shows, you most likely won’t be familiar with Asakura. However, despite his lack of clout on the international stage, his credentials cannot be overlooked.

UFC 310 on Saturday night sees Asakura make his promotional debut in the biggest position possible: Challenging for a world title. Facing off against long-standing UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja, Asakura will serve as the main event for the promotion’s final pay-per-view 2024 card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Asakura is, undoubtedly, partly getting a title shot due to UFC’s flyweight division being without any top contenders. Many high-ranked fighters have either already faced Pantoja, are coming off a loss, or are hard to justify for a shot against the champ. But that does not discount the years of success which Asakura put together in Japan, also explaining why he is being fast-tracked to the title picture.

The beginnings of Asakura’s career are that of a movie: After being a delinquent on the street with his older brother, Mikuru, the duo looked toward MMA for an escape. They competed in Japan’s regional scene, including fights in “The Outsider,” a brand for troubled men to fight in.

Asakura’s early success had built him an impressive record, and by 2017 the upstart promotion RIZIN had signed him. As the social media rise of the Asakura brothers took off, their in-ring results were positive as well. Mikuru in particular became the more popular of the two, as he led famous reality show “Breaking Down” and kept a larger social media presence. But Kai was the fighter. After rattling off six consecutive wins in the promotion—including a shocking 68-second win over UFC alum Kyoji Horiguchi—Asakura was given a title shot by late 2019.

The next few years would be a rollercoaster for Asakura. While he would go on two title reigns at bantamweight, he never particularly had dominance in the class. High-profile wins over Horiguchi and Hiromasa Ougikubo would later get avenged by his opponents, although those losses came in between impressive runs in the division with stoppages over respected vets like Yuki Motoya and Shooto Watanabe. Did his success make him the best bantamweight in RIZIN history? Probably not. Is he one of their best 135-pound fighters ever? No doubt.

After beating former Bellator champ Juan Archuleta to kick off his second RIZIN title reign last year, 31-year-old Asakura got the call to join the UFC roster. The opportunity this weekend for Asakura is a steep one. He has to deal with a return to 125 pounds, a division he hasn’t dropped down to since 2017. And he is facing the most successful fighter in the class, a step-up in competition he hasn’t ever been given before. Oddsmakers see him as an underdog, but also with a +200 rating, a win for him isn’t viewed as completely unreasonable.

Asakura is catching Pantoja amid what is arguably the second-most successful title reign in flyweight history.

Pantoja will be looking to defend his belt for a third time within a calendar year this weekend, coming back after five-round decision victories over Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg over the past 12 months. His successful run has brought a type of long-standing stability to the division that hasn’t been seen since Demetrious Johnson’s time as champ came to an end in 2018.

Saturday night could see a UFC newcomer suddenly assert himself as one of the best fighters in the world. Or, it could just be another stop in the growing success of Pantoja.

Before the headliner, a high-stakes fight at welterweight will go down between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry.

Rakhmonov was originally expected to challenge UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad this weekend, although that plan went out the window after the champ suffered an injury.

In a gutsy move, Rakhmonov’s next-in-line status will be wagered against Machado Garry in a five-round fight between the 170-pound division’s two most promising contenders.

Rakhmonov’s undefeated 18-fight record includes six UFC finishes, with victories over names like vet Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny on his record. Machado Garry, who has eight wins since joining the promotion in 2021, has put together wins over names like Bellator vet Michael Page and long-time contender Geoff Neal in recent months. The winner on Saturday will undoubtedly be considered the most qualified title challenger at welterweight.

Lower on the main card, second and third-ranked heavyweights Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov will clash. Although the bout is one of the biggest matchups that could be made at the weight class, the actual stakes of the bout are hard to predict. Who knows whether the winner gets Jon Jones, interim champ Tom Aspinall, a UFC APEX main event spot, or nothing at all.

The jam-packed 14-fight card has many other notable matchups. The prelims notably has a clash between former bantamweight champ turned featherweight contender Aljamain Sterling and undefeated Movsar Evloev.

Here’s the full lineup, UFC’s final numbered card of 2024:

Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (PPV)
Bout 14: Alexandre Pantoja (28-5) vs. Kai Asakura (21-4) (UFC Flyweight Championship)
Bout 13: Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) vs. Ian Machado Garry (15-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 12: Ciryl Gane (12-2) vs. Alexander Volkov (38-10) (Heavyweight)
Bout 11: Bryce Mitchell (16-2) vs. Kron Gracie (5-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Nate Landwehr (18-5) vs. Choi Doo-ho (15-4-1) (Featherweight)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EST / 5:00PM PST) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 9: Anthony Smith (37-20) vs. Dominick Reyes (13-4) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Vicente Luque (22-10-1) vs. Themba Gorimbo (14-4) (Welterweight)
Bout 7: Movsar Evloev (18-0) vs. Aljamain Sterling (24-4) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Randy Brown (19-5) vs. Bryan Battle (11-2) (Welterweight)
Early Prelims (6:00PM EST / 3:00PM PST) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 5: Chris Weidman (16-7) vs. Eryk Anders (16-8) (Catchweight 195 lbs)
Bout 4: Cody Durden (17-6-1) vs. Joshua Van (11-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Michael Chiesa (17-7) vs. Max Griffin (20-10) (Welterweight)
Bout 2: Clay Guida (38-24) vs. Chase Hooper (14-3-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Kennedy Nzechukwu (13-5) vs. Lukasz Brzeski (9-5-1) (Heavyweight)

Heavyweight Rivals Rematch In Germany At OKTAGON 64

OKTAGON’s last 2024 trip to Germany—where nearly half of their events took place in this year—is a strong finish. Heading to the SAP Garden in Munchen, the Czech Republic-based promotion will present a doubleheader of title fights on Saturday night.

The main event of the night will see Germany’s own Hatef Moeil look to defend his OKTAGON Heavyweight Championship for the first time, meeting rival Lazar Todev in a rematch.

Moeil’s impressive 11-fight winning streak led him to a title fight last year, facing Todev in a clash for the promotion’s vacant heavyweight belt. While Moeil was favored on scorecards via unanimous decision after five rounds, the result was considered controversial and justified a rematch between the two.

There is clear tension in the heavyweight bout, which was seen in the build-up to the fight. On Friday, a press conference between the fighters boiled over, with Moeil tossing his heavyweight title at the challenger as others scrambled to keep them apart.

The fight will be Moeil’s first appearance since his title win, which took place a little over a year ago. Todev, on the other hand, has built himself back up with a pair of stoppage wins in recent months.

A new welterweight champ will be crowned in the co-main event when Kaik Brito and Ion Surdu face off.

Brito is looking to start his second run with the belt, which he dropped in 2022 to pursue other opportunities in the sport. After losing a majority decision to Oban Elliott on UFC’s “Dana White’s Contender Series”—a result he has disputed—and earning a win in his home country of Brazil, Brito is back with the goal of reclaiming gold.

Surdu will be making his first OKTAGON title appearance this weekend. While earlier this year he had a shaky promotional record of two wins through four appearances, a first-round stoppage over former champ David Kozma over the summer threw Moldova’s Surdu into the title picture. We’ll see on Saturday whether the 29-year-old can capitalize on the biggest opportunity of his career thus far.

Before the two title fights, numerous bouts featuring up-and-coming German talent will take place. Here’s the full bout order:

Main Card (12:00PM EST / 6:00PM CET) (OKTAGON PPV)
Bout 11: Hatef Moeil (15-4) vs. Lazar Todev (11-6) (OKTAGON Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 10: Kaik Brito (17-5) vs. Ion Surdu (15-6) (Vacant OKTAGON Welterweight Championship)
Bout 9: Alexander Poppeck (17-5) vs. Mateusz Strzelczyk (14-14-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Max Holzer (9-0) vs. Eugen Black-Dell (10-6) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Bout 7: Patrick Vespaziani (3-2) vs. Sebastian Herzberg (5-0) (Heavyweight)
Bout 6: Michael Deiga-Scheck (11-6) vs. Jakub Dohnal (12-5) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Bout 5: Jamie Cordero (5-2) vs. Ion Taburceanu (7-2) (Middleweight)
Bout 4: Jorick Mantagnac (6-2) vs. Mateusz Duczmal (3-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Gokhan Aksu (11-6-1) vs. Jan Malach (17-14) (Welterweight)
Bout 2: Marek Bartl (12-13) vs. Endrit Brajshori (4-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Jan Stanovsky (5-1) vs. Fedor Duric (6-0) (Lightweight)