The ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title will be up for grabs in the main event of ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video, as former titleholder Ok Rae Yoon will square off with undefeated Turkish phenom Alibeg Rasulov.

That intriguing matchup will take place this Friday, July 5 in North American primetime at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ok Rae Yoon feels the game plan will be the deciding factor in the Rasulov fight

For Ok, the fight represents not only his chance to take out one of the planet’s most feared rising stars but also an opportunity to once again wear 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold.

The South Korean enjoyed a meteoric rise through the first three bouts of his ONE tenure, defeating former featherweight MMA king Marat Gafurov and American superstar Eddie Alvarez before capturing the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title from Christian ‘The Warrior’ Lee.

Ok would lose a rematch to Lee, but has since bounced back to the win column with an impressive win over Lowen Tynanes.

Now, with ‘The Warrior’ on the sidelines, Ok is bracing for another shot at gold.

He knows he’s in for a stiff test against promotional newcomer Rasulov, but is confident that he and his team have devised the perfect plan to hand the 31-year-old the first loss of his career.

“Alibeg has never tasted defeat at the professional level before. Coming up with a game plan, a solution to defeating this man, that is what excites me. I believe that the way I develop and enact this game plan will determine the outcome of the fight,” Ok said.

Ok sharpening his grappling to keep fighting on the feet

On paper, the World Title clash at ONE Fight Night 23 is a classic striker-versus-grappler matchup.

Although he is a skilled and well-rounded mixed martial artist, Ok tends to do his best work on the feet where he possesses crispy boxing technique, dynamic kicks, and masterfully timed counter-strikes.

The former lightweight MMA king admits that keeping the fight standing will be a top priority against a powerful grappler and submission hunter like Rasulov.

He added, “He is a talented grappler. I want to stay on my feet and light him up with my striking, essentially putting on a performance anyone can and will like. So, I’ve been working on my takedown and grappling defense, as well as my overall striking.”