SUMMARY
- Angela Lee's brother Adrian Lee is set to make his debut at ONE 167.
- Ahead of the event, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong makes a bold claim about Adrian.
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is predicting big things for teenage MMA prodigy Adrian Lee. The 18-year-old makes his professional debut when he faces Antonio Mammarella in a lightweight MMA contest at ONE 167 on Prime Video on June 7. The blockbuster card goes down at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Lee’s arrival on the global stage comes after a difficult time for the fighting family. The third of four Lee siblings, Victoria, tragically passed away aged just 18 in December 2022. In the wake of their devastating loss, long-time ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Angela announced her retirement and vacated her belt.
Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA, Sityodtong noted the magnitude of the occasion for the youngest of the Lee siblings.
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“You know, I’ve had a few calls with Christian and Adrian. We openly discussed and communicated on both sides the magnitude of Adrian Lee’s debut, given Angela’s retirement and Victoria Lee’s passing,” he said.
“The Lee family is still one of the big royal families of mixed martial arts globally. There will be tremendous amount of eyes on Adrian’s debut.”
Christian Lee, alongside his younger brother, remains committed to returning to MMA competition to defend his ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Titles in honor of his sister.
Just how good is ONE 167 debutant Adrian Lee?
Chatri Sityodtong has revealed the high praises for Adrian Lee ahead of his promotional debut at ONE 167 against Antonio Mammarella. In the same interview, the ONE boss lifted the lid on the talent that is about to be unleashed on the MMA world.
“You know, he wanted to make the debut back in February, we’re just a little bit cautious, you know,” he said.
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“At the same time, Christian has told us that he is the best Lee of the Lee family, and that’s given us assurance. And at the same time, he’s very mentally prepared. This is something he really, really wanted to do, and Christian Lee will be in his corner.”
Adrian has won several titles across a range of disciplines as an amateur in his native Hawaii, and now he is preparing to follow in the footsteps of his famous siblings as a professional mixed martial artist.