Alibeg Rasulov Begins Road Back Against Unbeaten Lucas Gabriel At ONE Fight Night 49
Alibeg Rasulov arrived in ONE Championship undefeated, but his last appearance ended with the first loss of his career. The Turkish lightweight now gets his chance to respond, and the man waiting for him has never lost under the ONE banner either.
Rasulov faces Brazilian star Lucas Gabriel in the lightweight MMA main event of ONE Fight Night 49 on Prime Video on Friday, November 6. The card airs live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium.
The 33-year-old built his reputation on crushing takedowns, suffocating clinch work, and raw strength. He lived up to it immediately, outworking former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Ok Rae Yoon in his July 2024 debut to earn a title shot.
What followed tested his patience. His first meeting with Christian “The Warrior” Lee at ONE Fight Night 26 in December 2024 ended in a no contest after an accidental eye poke, and Lee won their long-awaited rematch at ONE 173.
Rather than let that setback define him, Rasulov has gone back to the drawing board to refine and sharpen his game. A win here could put a trilogy with Lee firmly on the table.
The timing makes that storyline even more intriguing. Lee defends his lightweight gold against Tye Ruotolo at The Inner Circle 37 just hours before Rasulov steps into the ring.
Gabriel, 26, makes the assignment anything but straightforward. The Phuket Fight Club representative is 11-1 (1 NC) and unbeaten in six ONE outings, a run that includes a submission of Gadzhimurad “Tought” Amirzhanov and a statement win over Ok this past June.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt pairs relentless pressure with dangerous submissions and real power, plus a willingness to finish the moment an opportunity appears. Against Rasulov’s wrestling, the fight could be decided anywhere it goes, whether on the feet or on the canvas.
For Rasulov, the equation is simple. Beating an unbeaten Brazilian in the middle of this kind of run would prove the Lee loss was a detour rather than a ceiling.
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