Video - Christian Lee Defends ONE Championship Lightweight Title With KO Over Timofey Nastyukhin

Mandatory Credit: ONE Championship

22-year-old lightweight standout, Christian 'The Warrior' Lee continues to run roughshod through his divisional peers at ONE Championship -- successfully defending his lightweight crown this afternoon with an opening-round knockout win over challenger, Timofey Nastyukhin.

Headlining ONE on TNT II -- Lee scored the second successful defence of his lightweight crown at the Singapore Indoor Stadium event, dispatching Kazakhstan native, Nastyukhin with a huge counter left hand and follow up ground strikes as the challenger attempted to work back to his feet -- with just over a minute elapsed in the premier frame of the event's headliner.

 

Christian Lee 🇺🇸🇸🇬 retains the ONE Lightweight World Title with a first-round stoppage of Timofey Nastyukhin! @ChristianLeeMMA @tntdrama @BleacherReport @BR_MMA @brlive #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ONEonTNT2 pic.twitter.com/mxxy1ZRF8S

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 15, 2021

The Vancouver, British Columbia-born striker improved to 15-3 professionally with the success -- extending his undefeated streak under the Chatri Sityodtong promotion's banner to an eye-catching six consecutive fights. 

Lee, the younger brother of atomweight champion, Angela Lee, and the elder sibling of recent professional debutante, Victoria Lee, has featured under the Singapore-based promotion's scrutiny ever since his first professional walk back in December of 2015. 

Scoring ten knockout wins in his career to go with four submission stoppages, Lee added Nastyukhin to a run which features recent ONE on TNT I feature, Iuri Lapicus, Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev -- where he won the lightweight Grand Prix, Shinya Aoki -- whom he scored the undisputed lightweight title against, as well as Edward Kelly, and Kazuki Takudome. 

The stoppage loss for Nastyukhin snapped a two-fight rise for the 31-year-old, who had scored prior successes against both Pieter Buist, and former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez in the ONE Championship lightweight Grand Prix quarter final back in March of 2019. 

Also featuring on this morning's card, 35-year-old Californian, Janet Todd notched her sixth success under the ONE Championship banner -- stopping Norweigan Anne Line Hogstad with a third-round kick to the body in a Muay Thai clash. 

The promotion is set to return on April 21st. for ONE on TNT III -- with a bantamweight matchup featuring UFC alum, John Lineker, and short-notice replacement, Troy Worthen slated for main event honours. 

In an eye-catching Muay Thai matchup, veteran kickboxers, Nieky Holzken and John Wayne Parr also meet in a lightweight showdown at the event.