As the reigning lightweight king in ONE Championship, Christian Lee believes Eddie Alvarez hasn’t done anything to earn a title shot.
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has been calling out just about everyone, from boxers, to the ONE lightweight champion. The record of Alvarez would indicate he has only won 1 fight in his last 4 bouts. Still, he is insistent on fighting for another world title.
Lee, on the other hand, believes that Alvarez is undeserving of any title opportunity. After Alvarez lost to Rae Yoon Ok by unanimous decision in late April, Lee feels if anyone is worthy of challenging his reign it would be Ok and not Alvarez.
“In terms of Eddie, it’s a fight that the company really wanted,” Lee told MMA Junkie Radio. “They wanted to send the ONE champion in to face the former UFC champion, to beat him. I think Eddie’s a great opponent, but he’s on a three-fight losing streak. Aside from his win over Eduard Folayang, he hasn’t won inside the promotion. I know they overturned his fight with Iuri to a no contest because he was making a big deal out of it, but then he went in there with a decision loss to Rae Yoon Ok. As much as people want that fight to happen, it’s not going to happen anytime soon because Eddie hasn’t done anything to prove he’s earned his way up to the top.”
Christian Lee has defended the lightweight belt (170lbs in ONE Championship) twice since capturing it in the 2019 ONE Championship Lightweight Grand Prix. Admittedly, Lee has never turned down a fight but emphasizes that if Eddie Alvarez wants the title fight then he has to earn his way to the top. As it stands, Lee only recognizes Rae Yoon Ok as a viable contender, but that could change if Alvarez steps back into the ONE cage soon.
What do you make of Christian Lee’s stance on Eddie Alvarez not deserving a title shot?
