“A lot of time lifting differently” - Christian Lee shares how he bulked up to face Kiamrian Abbasov

Christian Lee is no stranger to moving up weight classes, and it seems he’s doing the right thing during his bump to welterweight.

The reigning ONE lightweight world champion will try to get a world title in a second weight class when he challenges Kiamrian Abbasov for the ONE welterweight world title at ONE on Prime Video 4 this Friday, November 18, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

ONE Championship’s Friday showcase will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video and existing subscribers in North America will be able to watch it for free.

Lee, in an interview with The MMA Superfan, said that he’s been lifting more weights than ever before. He’s also increased his caloric intake heading into his welterweight debut. Christian Lee said:

“All I did was take a little bit of time off and spent a lot of time lifting a little bit differently to put on a little bit more mass. And changing my diet in the sense of not eating anything unhealthy, but doubling my portions in a healthy way.”

Lee’s move to 185 pounds won’t be the first time that he’s moving into a heavier division in ONE Championship. ‘The Warrior’ started in the promotion as a 17-year-old featherweight before going up to lightweight in May 2019.

His first fight at 170 pounds couldn’t have been any more difficult. Lee’s divisional debut was against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki for the ONE lightweight world title.

Despite the magnitude of the fight, Lee battered Aoki to claim the ONE lightweight world championship at ONE: Enter the Dragon in May 2019.

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Christian Lee sees himself as the underdog against Abbasov

Although he’s already one of the most prolific fighters in ONE Championship history, Christian Lee is calling himself the underdog in his world title challenge against Abbasov.

Lee, in an interview with MMA Junkie, said that he’ll be working harder than ever against Abbasov since he would walk to the Circle as the challenger.

“I always look at myself as the underdog, as the challenger. And I always feel like I need to be working harder. So I'm never going to be satisfied with my performance until I've hung up my gloves and I'm done fighting.”

Christian Lee is on his second reign with the ONE lightweight world title after he obliterated South Korean star Ok Rae Yoon in their rematch at ONE 160 this past August.

The Singaporean-American star also holds a multitude of records in ONE Championship. He owns the most wins with 16, the most finishes at 15, and the most knockouts at 11 in the organization.