Streaking Russian contender Saygid Izagakhmaev wants to go home and spend some time with his family before looking ahead to his next big appearance inside the Circle.
At ONE 163 on Saturday, Izagakhmaev scored the biggest win of his career, defeating Asian martial arts legend Shinya Aoki in a dominant fashion. It only took the No. 4 ranked lightweight 86-seconds to put Aoki away, dropping the former lightweight world champion with a powerful right hand.
Izagakhmaev followed that up with some ground and pound, forcing the referee to step in and stop the carnage. His impressive first-round finish also earned him a $50,000 bonus from the ONE Championship CEO.
During his ONE 163 post-fight interview, Saygid Izagakhmaev said that he would like to take a little time away from the Circle to return home. While there, he will spend some of his newfound wealth and enjoy time with his family before making a return.
“I haven’t been at home for two months. I want to stay at home a little bit, spend some time with family. I earned a lot of money this time, so I want to spend a little bit of it. And then let’s see when will be the next. I’m ready.”
Watch his post-fight interview below:
Is Saygid Izagakhmaev next for two-division world champion Christian Lee?
Just hours before Saygid Izagakhmaev would dispatch Shinya Aoki at ONE 163, Christian Lee made ONE Championship history, capturing the ONE welterweight world title in a Fight of the Year contender against Kiamrian Abbasov.
Now the holder of the ONE lightweight and welterweight world championships, ‘The Warrior’ certainly has some options available, but when it comes to defending his lightweight crown, only one man makes sense.
With Christian Lee having already defeated three of the top five contenders in the lightweight division, a showdown with Izagakhmaev would appear to be the next logical step. Lee has also made mention of defending the ONE welterweight world title against the winner of next month’s highly-anticipated match between newly-signed Roberto Soldic and undefeated Russian contender Murad Ramazanov.
With both fighters coming off the biggest wins of their respective careers, it’s probably far too early to speculate what comes next for each, but it’s clear that Saygid Izagakhmaev and Christian Lee are on a collision course.
