The much anticipated ONE Fight Night 23 is just around the corner, and the fans are excited about it. Former titleholder Ok Rae Yoon and undefeated newcomer Alibeg Rasulov will headline the main event as they battle it out for the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title. The event will occur at the famous Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and will broadcast live on U.S. primetime on Prime Video on Friday, July 5 at 8 A.M. EDT (Saturday, July 6 at 8 A.M. SGT, 7 A.M. ICT).

In addition, the event will also feature a non-title submission grappling fight between welterweight kingpin Tye Ruotolo and teenage sensation Jozef Chen. The event also marks the return of Luke Lessei, who currently sits at #5 in the featherweight Muay Thai Division. Adding to the excitement, a key bantamweight Muay Thai showdown between top-five contenders, Nico Carrillo and Saemapetch is all set to light up the event. Let us look at the details below. 

Ok Rae Yoon vs. Alibeg Rasulov: the battle between two lightweight giants 

Former divisional king Ok Rae Yoon squares off against an undefeated Turkish sensation Alibeg Rasulov. Beyond the 26 pounds of gold in line, this battle promises to be a blockbuster event for the night. The South Korean veteran is one of the most complete mixed martial artists in the division. However, his biggest strength is his venomous attacks and excellent defensive prowess, which helped him win the gold in the division. Yoon has defeated some of the biggest names in the sport like former featherweight MMA king Marat Gafurov, and American superstar Eddie Alvarez.

He also has a win over current ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Christian Lee. However, he will have his work cut out against Rasulov. Hailing from Turkey, 31-year-old Alibeg Rasulov is currently unbeaten in his career. He holds an impressive record of 14-0 to date and is considered a wrestling powerhouse. However, in his debut fight in the world’s largest martial arts organization, he will be up against a former champion. Rasulov has high respect for the veteran fighter but is confident of winning the title, as revealed by him in recent interviews.  

Let’s now shift our focus to the remaining fights of the night and check out their details. 

What else can the fans expect at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs Rasulov? 

The other exciting clash of the night is the non-title submission grappling matchup between Tye Ruotolo and Jozef Chen. Current ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Ruotolo is always looking to take up new challenges. This time around he has found himself a worthy opponent in 19-year-old prodigy Jozef Chen. Fans look forward to this beautiful grappling contest and perhaps the stiffest test of Ruotolo’s career. In Bantamweight Muay Thai action, top-ranked contender Nico Carrillo will take on #4-ranked Saemapetch Fairtex. 

Carrillo will look to keep his unbeaten run going when he takes on the hard-hitting Saemapetch. The card also marks the return of American sensation Luke Lessei as he takes on Bampara Kouyate in the featherweight Muay Thai action. Senegalese sensation “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane will also take part in the event to face his compatriot Boucher Ketchup in a kickboxing bout where he hopes to showcase some of his striking prowess ahead of his World Title challenge against three-division king Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 168: Denver in September. 

Some fans have already started making their prediction and took to social media to choose their favorite. One fan wrote, “Rasulov will be a new champion”, while another predicted, “Everything its gonna be “OK”. Grappling fans also made their thoughts known, with one saying: “Chen vs Rutuolo should be 🔥”. Meanwhile, striking fans are torn on Carrillo versus Saemapetch, with one fan expressing their prediction: “Rooting for Paetch but Carrillo will probably knock him out.”

Are you excited about the upcoming event on July 5? Let us know in the comments below.