There’s still more championship action coming your way on Friday night. After Cage Fury‘s welterweight championship is awarded in the CFFC 115 main event, ONE Championship will offer up a fight for its welterweight title in the ONE on Prime Video 4 main event.
The Singapore Indoor Stadium will play host to ONE’s penultimate event on Amazon Prime for the year. Live coverage of ONE on Prime Video 4 begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT with the undercard, with main card action immediately following at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT.
ONE on Prime Video 4 Information and Important Advisory For Amazon Prime Video Subscribers
- Nine total fights will take place on Friday night.
- Four fights will be MMA contests, along with four Muay-Thai bouts.
- One grappling match will be held.
If this is your first time watching a ONE on Prime Video event, take note that ONE on Prime Video 4 is only available to Prime Video subscribers in North America. Outside of North America, Friday’s card will be accessible on pay-per-view through ONE’s official Website under the alternate title ONE Fight Night 4.
Earlier in 2022, ONE Championship and Amazon Prime Video came to terms on a long-term media rights deal, bringing the combat sports promotion to the subscription-based platform for monthly cards in a Friday night timeslot for North American viewers.
Welterweight Championship At Stake in ONE on Prime Video 4 Main Event
Friday’s itinerary will be capped by the ONE on Prime Video 4 main event, a headliner which sees the promotion’s welterweight championship (185 lbs.) at stake. Now-former welterweight champion Kiamrian Abbasov (23-5 MMA, 4-2 ONE Championship) meets ONE Lightweight Champion Christian Lee (16-4 MMA, 16-4 ONE Championship) in the latter’s bid to become a double-champ.
As with all MMA title fights, Friday’s headliner will be a maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to end the night’s activities. Atypical of other MMA promotions, ONE Championship bases its divisions on a competitor’s everyday weight and has long banned dehydration to cut weight.
Only Christian Lee is eligible to win the championship on Friday. Kiamrian Abbasov failed to make weight Thursday after the second hydration window and has lost the belt.
ONE on Prime Video 4 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into Friday night’s championship fight, Kiamrian Abbasov is the taller contender, standing 6-foot-2, compared to the 5-foot-10 frame of Christian Lee. Additionally, Lee owns a 78-inch reach, with no such information accessible for Abbasov.
As of Thursday afternoon, the oddsmakers have Christian Lee as a -172 favorite, with Kiamrian Abbasov installed as a +142 underdog. If you plan to place a bet for this or any other fight this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Abbasov Has Choice Words for Christian Lee
Kiamrian Abbasov enters Friday night’s main event, having gone 4-1 in his last five fights. He saw his four-fight winning streak snapped last time out on Feb. 25 against Reinier de Ridder (16-0 MMA, 7-0 ONE Championship) by third-round submission (rear-naked choke.)
In the run-up to the ONE on Prime Video 4 main event, he was interviewed by the promotion, where he said he intends to make Christian Lee regret his decision to move up to 185 lbs.
“A lot of things will go off plan for him,” Abbasov began. Naturally, he will complain to his dad or coach: ‘Coach, big problem. Kiamrian Abbasov is a big problem. Please, stop the fight. Stop the fight.’ When the cage is closed, neither media nor his family will help him. It will only be I and he with all his big problems because of his desire to move up to my division. I will whisper in his ear during the fight: ‘Stay in your lightweight division.'”
The time for talk is done for Kiamrian Abbasov, and the cage door will soon close. Can he back up his words with action? Tune in and find out.
Christian Lee Aims to Become Double-Champ
In the other corner, Christian Lee has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Most recently, he scored a first-round knockout of Ok Rae Yoon (16-4 MMA, 3-1 ONE Championship).
Recently, Lee was interviewed by The MMA Superfan about his aspirations to become a two-division champion and why now is an opportune moment for the fight.
“Since I joined the promotion, since I started my career in MMA, my goal is to first become a world champion and second, to become a double-champion in two divisions,” Lee said. “So, I’ve already claimed the lightweight title and now I feel like it’s a good time, having defended my belt in the lightweight division quite a few times. With the welterweight division kind of being on hold for the last few years, we’ve only seen one title defense from Abbasov in the last two years, I feel like it’s kind of a good time where the lightweight division is a little bit on hold and the welterweight division, as well.”
A victory in the ONE on Prime Video 4 main event would put Christian Lee in exclusive company. As it stands now, there have only been three fighters who have been double-champs in the promotion’s history, most recently when de Ridder took the middleweight title in 2020 and the light heavyweight strap in 2021. Can Lee become the fourth two-division champion?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the ONE on Prime Video 4 main event favors Christian Lee, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Kiamrian Abbasov’s background as a wrestler and boxer.
Kiamrian Abbasov is Deadly With Submissions
One aspect of Kiamrian Abbasov’s fight game that’s shown itself on tape is his ability to lock in the submission. Four years ago, he did just that against Agilan Thani. During the first round of a scheduled three, Abbasov took immediate control of the fight, landing strikes and taking his opponent down several times in succession.
After the second takedown, Abbasov scored with punches from the back clinch to set up a third takedown, grappling with Thani for a short time afterward. At this point in the fight, it was clearly Abbasov’s contest to win, eventually sinking in a rear-naked choke after landing seven takedowns in total.
Look for Abbasov to take Lee down with regularity. As little as one takedown could be all it takes to close up shop.
Christian Lee Can Be Vicious With Knees
In the other corner, the best way for Christian Lee to counter Kiamrian Abbasov would be to land some knees as he did versus Ok Rae Yoon in August. During the second round of a scheduled five, Lee absorbed some jabs but was able to counterstrike with leg kicks to Ok.
Those leg kicks set up an overhanded right punch to drop Ok Rae Yoon. From there, Lee unloaded with vicious knee strikes (knees to a grounded opponent are legal strikes in ONE) to knock Ok out.
If Lee is able to land plentiful knee strikes, he’ll walk out of the arena as a double-champ.
Final Thoughts
With Abbasov’s weight miss earlier Thursday, one has to surmise that he’ll be fighting angrily on Friday in the ONE on Prime Video 4 main event. In the aftermath of the weight miss and loss of the championship, Abbasov could very well spoil the party and leave the welterweight championship vacant.
At the same time, however, the opposite could be true. Christian Lee may very well make Kiamrian Abbasov pay for coming in over the contracted weight and have the fight of his career.
You won’t want to miss this fight.
Prediction: Christian Lee by Unanimous Decision.
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