ONE Championship two-division champion Christian Lee says he would "dominate" UFC star Islam Makhachev and wants a cross-promotional fight with him at welterweight, according to an interview with MMA Fighting published on November 5. Lee made the comments one day before he defends his title against Tye Ruotolo at The Inner Circle 37 in Bangkok.
What Lee said
Lee told MMA Fighting he feels "very confident" that he is the best fighter in the world across any organization. "My goal, if I could choose one fight, would be to fight Islam right now," he said, adding that he would go for the welterweight belt. He argued that Makhachev is a double champion like him, but has only fought opponents inside the UFC.
On how he would win, Lee said: "Take the fight to him. I feel like I can catch him on the feet. I feel like I can take him down, dominate him." He also said it is not fair to call Makhachev better than Khabib Nurmagomedov, because Khabib retired early to honor a promise to his father.
There is no indication from the UFC or ONE that such a fight is being discussed. For now it is Lee's personal callout.
Where Makhachev stands
According to Pugna MMA's database, Makhachev is 29-1 and is ranked first in the UFC pound-for-pound list. He is the UFC welterweight champion, and his last fight was a five-round decision win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on August 15. Before that he beat Jack Della Maddalena by decision at UFC 322 in November 2025 to win the welterweight title. MMA Fighting notes that he has won 17 straight fights, the UFC record.
The fight Lee has first
Lee's immediate task is Ruotolo. ONE Championship lists the bout as a defense of the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title, on Friday, November 6 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. ONE also lists Lee, 28, as its reigning welterweight MMA champion, with a record of 18-4 and 17 wins by finish.
Ruotolo, 23, is 2-0 in MMA, both wins by submission, and is the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion. His debut win was a second-round rear-naked choke of Adrian Lee, Christian's younger brother, which was Adrian's first career loss. Christian says Adrian was dealing with a back injury that night.
Lee said he trained with Max Holloway in Hawaii for this camp. Holloway is ranked fourth at lightweight in the UFC, and our records show his most recent win came against Conor McGregor at UFC 329 in July. Lee said he plans to "knock him out cold or put him to sleep." He said he respects Ruotolo as a dangerous grappler, and that there is no room for emotion over the revenge angle.
What comes next
Lee's callout only carries weight if he gets past Ruotolo on Friday. A win would add to his case for a bigger name, but a cross-promotional bout with Makhachev would need both the UFC and ONE to agree, and neither has said anything about it.
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