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While Christian Lee is undoubtedly itching to get back inside the Circle, he's been more than happy to sit on the sidelines and help his little brother, Adrian Lee, work toward his highly anticipated pro-MMA debut.
Fortunately, the wait is almost over. In a matter of hours, highly touted 18-year-old prospect Adrian Lee will make his first appearance on martial arts' biggest global stage as ONE Championship presents a locked and loaded ONE 167 card inside the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Standing across from Lee on fight night will be Italian standout Antonio Mammarella, a well-rounded fighter looking to score his first win in ONE while simultaneously derailing Lee's hype train.
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Christian Lee, who has not competed since winning a second ONE world title in November 2022, recently spoke with the South China Morning Post about his time away from the sport and how he has worked to make the most of it alongside his little brother.
"I'm excited to get back into the ONE Circle, but right now I'm just very excited to be coaching him and being on the other side instead of, you know, me doing all the work," Christian Lee said. "I'm happy to sit on the sidelines and watch him work."
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.
As Adrian Lee prepares for his debut, fans wonder when will Christian Lee return
Christian Lee is undoubtedly one of the most prolific finishers in all of ONE Championship. Through 17 career wins with the promotion, he has finished all, but one of his opponents, scoring 12 knockouts and four submissions. Along the way, he has claimed the ONE lightweight world title, defeating Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki.
He also holds victories over Iuri Lapicus, Timofey Nastyukhin, and Ok Rae Yoon. However, his biggest victory likely came in November 2022 when he moved up to welterweight for a shot at then-champion Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4.
Going toe-to-toe, the two warriors delivered a Fight of the Year contender that ultimately ended in the fourth round with Lee landing a series of punches and elbows to force the stoppage.
As Adrian Lee gears up for his big debut at ONE 167, who would you like to see Christian Lee face when he makes his long-awaited return?
