Ok Rae-yoon, Alibeg Rasulov to headline ONE Fight Night 23 in shakeup

Ok Rae-yoon faces Lowen Tynanes at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023. [ONE]

There has been a major shakeup atop ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video.

Former divisional king Ok Rae-yoon and unbeaten phenom Alibeg Rasulov will now clash for the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title in the main event in U.S. primetime on July 5.

The epic matchup replaces the originally scheduled battle between Jackie Buntan and Anissa “C18” Meksen for the vacant ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Title, with Buntan pulling out due to injury.

Instead, Ok and Rasulov will square off for interim gold at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with the winner earning a World Title unification bout against divisional titleholder Christian “The Warrior” Lee.

Ok previously held the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title and is now the division’s top contender.

The 33-year-old claimed the belt with a stunning upset of Lee in 2021, which followed a pair of memorable wins over Eddie Alvarez and Marat Gafurov. However, the Korean would fall to “The Warrior” via second-round TKO in their 2022 World Title rematch.

After getting back to winning ways against Lowen Tynanes last time out, Ok punched his ticket to this high-profile opportunity.

Although Rasulov doesn’t have the same storied history in the division, he’ll bring a formidable resume to the ring.

Boasting a perfect 13-0 professional MMA slate, the 31-year-old blasted his way through strong opposition on the regional circuit to earn his chance in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Ok is a formidable opponent for anyone, but the grappling specialist will pit his strong wrestling and ground game against the former king’s elite stand-up skills.

With 10 finishes from his 13 career wins, the surging Turkish star has some dangerous weapons in his arsenal and could become an Interim ONE World Champion in his promotional debut.

This matchup allows the division to keep moving while reigning ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Champion Lee gears up for his long-awaited return.

Whoever holds the interim strap when “The Warrior” does step back into competition will be guaranteed the opportunity to vie for undisputed gold next.

BY JAY FURNESS [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]