Strawweight Lee eyes 14th straight win in November

Former lightweight champion Ok returns to action in December

Lee targets title contention; Ok seeks comeback

"Flash" Lee Seung-cheol, who competes in ONE Championship, is set to chase his 14th consecutive win. [ONE Championship official page]
"Flash" Lee Seung-cheol, who competes in ONE Championship, is set to chase his 14th consecutive win. [ONE Championship official page]

South Korea's top strawweight fighter "Flash" Lee Seung-cheol (27) and former lightweight champion Ok Rae-yoon (35) will face undefeated opponents in back-to-back bouts at ONE Championship.

Lee, the most closely watched fighter in his weight class, will chase his 14th consecutive win, while Ok looks to stage a comeback against one of the world's premier grapplers.

Lee will take on Nazares Laltanzuala (25, India) in a strawweight bout at ONE Fight Night 49, scheduled for Nov. 7 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Lee has been on a 13-fight winning streak since losing his professional debut in 2020, compiling a record of 13 wins and one loss — including seven victories by KO or TKO and three by submission. He has gone undefeated in six bouts since joining ONE Championship in 2024. In December last year, he submitted Khueng Naivacho with a rear-naked choke, then followed up with decision wins over Fabio Henrique in March and Bokang Masunyane in July.

Lee was originally scheduled to face Karen Ghazaryan at ONE Fight Night 48, but the bout was canceled due to his opponent's visa issues. He now has the chance to extend his winning streak against an undefeated Indian prospect.

His opponent, Laltanzuala, carries a perfect 8-0 professional record. He knocked out Suzuki Masaki just 17 seconds into their fight last year and stopped John Brutas by TKO in the first round in June.

A win would give Lee 14 consecutive victories and a seven-fight winning streak inside ONE Championship. With current strawweight champion Joshua Pacio of the Philippines defending his title against Yamakita Keito of Japan on Nov. 18, a victory would also strengthen Lee's position in the title picture.

Ok Rae-yoon, former ONE Championship lightweight champion. [ONE Championship official page]
Ok Rae-yoon, former ONE Championship lightweight champion. [ONE Championship official page]

About a month later, Ok Rae-yoon will enter the lightweight division. Ok is set to face Kade Ruotolo (23, United States) in a lightweight bout at ONE Fight Night 50, scheduled for Dec. 19 at the same venue.

Ok is one of South Korea's most prominent mixed martial artists, having claimed the ONE Championship lightweight title in 2021 by defeating Christian Lee (United States/Singapore). He was also named male MMA fighter of the year that same year.

However, Ok has struggled recently. His overall record stands at 17 wins and six losses, and he has dropped his last two bouts. His most recent defeat came in June at ONE Fight Night 44, where he lost to Lucas Gabriel of Brazil, making a turnaround all the more urgent.

His opponent, Ruotolo, is the ONE lightweight submission grappling champion and an undefeated MMA prospect. He holds a perfect 4-0 professional MMA record, finishing all four opponents without going to the judges. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Ruotolo recently earned his first MMA knockout win against Dezuka Hiroyuki of Japan, finishing him with a right hand followed by ground-and-pound.

Known as the "Legend Killer," Ok is still regarded as South Korea's best lightweight fighter despite his age. This bout gives him the chance to halt the winning streak of a world-class grappler while re-entering the lightweight title conversation.


yjc@heraldcorp.com