Chatri Sityodtong confirms interim crowns for lightweight, welterweight will take place before Christian Lee returns

ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong confirmed that ahead of the expected return of double ONE world champion Christian Lee later this year, interim title fights for the lightweight and welterweight MMA divisions will first take place.

He shared this in a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Nic Atkins, highlighting that it is part of their move to ease 'The Warrior' back from an extended break for personal reasons.

The ONE executive said:

"We are going to do interim title fights [that are set] to be announced as well. We have two contenders in mind and we want to put both of that together. We did have to slow down, and I hope people understand."

Sityodtong added:

"We did have to slow both divisions, just because, out of respect and courtesy to Christian, and I think, I'm sure, some fighters are unhappy about it. But if you're in that situation, you're in his situation, having the irth of your child plus having to deal with the loss of a loved one, so close, I think we did the right thing by giving space and time and letting them come back."

Watch the interview below, beginning at the 9:32 mark:

Christian Lee took a self-imposed break from competition following the untimely passing of their younger sister and fellow ONE fighter, Victoria, in December 2022. He also had his first child prior to that.

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Christian Lee claimed vacant ONE welterweight MMA title in last fight

Prior to taking an unexpected self-imposed break, Christian Lee added to his solid standing in ONE Championship by becoming a two-division world champion with the addition of the welterweight MMA gold to his haul.

'The Warrior' scored a fourth-round TKO victory over former divisional king Kiamrian Abbasov for the then-vacant world title belt at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November 2022.

Lee showed tremendous heart in notching the victory, coming back from an early onslaught at the hands of 'Brazen', including being dropped to the canvas and receiving a barrage of heavy punches after in the opening round.

But the Singaporean-American fighter stayed the course and recovered as the fight progressed, eventually finding an opening to land solid elbows and then ground strikes that ended with the contest being stopped by referee Herb Dean at the 4:20 mark of the fourth round.

The win came just three months after Christian Lee reclaimed the ONE lightweight MMA world title from former champion Ok Rae Yoon with a second-round TKO.