Christian Lee targets Islam Makhachev in cross-promotional clash ahead of Ruotolo title defence

Christian Lee has set his sights on UFC double champion Islam Makhachev, declaring he would ‘dominate’ the Russian star if a cross-promotional superfight were ever arranged — a bold claim that comes just days before Lee defends his ONE Championship welterweight title against Tye Ruotolo at The Inner Circle 37 in Thailand.

Lee holds ONE Championship gold at both lightweight and welterweight, mirroring the two divisions in which Makhachev has claimed UFC titles. That parallel is not lost on the 25-year-old, who told MMA Fighting that a welterweight showdown with Makhachev would be his single most coveted fight right now.

“I feel very confident that I’m the best fighter in the world across any organization,” Lee said. “My goal, if I could choose one fight, would be to fight Islam right now. He’s a double champ, lightweight and welterweight, just like me but in the UFC, and he’s proven. He’s fought everyone, but he’s only fought everyone in the UFC. He hasn’t fought people outside. So if I could line up a cross-promotional fight, I would want the Islam welterweight fight right now.”

Lee’s blueprint for beating Makhachev is to turn the Russian’s own weapons against him. “Take the fight to him,” he explained. “I feel like I can catch him on the feet. I feel like I can take him down, dominate him, do everything that he does to other people. I feel like I have a different style, different skillset, and I would really love to show that one day.”

Makhachev has lost just once in MMA — a knockout defeat to Adriano Martins in 2016 — and has since reeled off 17 consecutive victories, a UFC record. Lee’s own recent form is similarly imposing: he has lost only once in his last 11 fights under the ONE banner, finishing all but one of those opponents.

When pressed on whether Makhachev surpasses his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov — a fighter Lee famously claimed to top five years ago — Lee was diplomatic. He argued it is unfair to rank Makhachev above Nurmagomedov given that Khabib retired early out of a promise to his late father, but acknowledged that Makhachev is the active standard-bearer of the Dagestani school.

“Right now, Islam is the only one in the works, so he would be the guy I’m calling for,” Lee said with a laugh.

Before any dream matchup can materialise, Lee must first navigate a genuinely dangerous assignment. Ruotolo is a decorated submission grappling champion who has gone 2-0 under MMA rules, winning both bouts by submission. The matchup pits Lee’s well-rounded championship pedigree against one of combat sports’ most dangerous pure grapplers making his way into the cage.