“Becoming a dad is the best thing” - Double champ Christian Lee talks about fatherhood ahead of his return at ONE 169: Atlanta

Double ONE world champion Christian Lee said he is settling well in his role as a father, providing added motivation for him as a world-class fighter.

The reigning lightweight and welterweight king first became a dad when he and wife Katie welcomed their eldest child, Alia, in April 2021. Then, in June last year, their son, Tommy, was born. His little bundles of joy and the rest of his family are now serving as anchors as he gears up to resume his career under ONE Championship.

Christian Lee, who accompanied brother Adrian in his United States debut in Colorado last week, spoke about this in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA ahead of his return to action at ONE 169 in Atlanta, Georgia, on Nov. 8.

He said:

"It's great. I have my two babies, and my wife here with me for my brother's fight. And yeah, it couldn't be better. Becoming a dad is the best thing that I ever did."

Check out what he had to say below:

At ONE 169, which will take place at the State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, Christian Lee will be defending his lightweight MMA world title against undefeated Turkish fighter Alibeg Rasulov.

It will be his first match back after nearly two years, coming off a self-imposed break to mourn the untimely passing of his younger sister and fellow ONE fighter Victoria at the age of 18 in December 2022.

Lee was last in action in November 2022 where he claimed the vacant ONE welterweight MMA world title with a fourth-round TKO win over former divisional king Kiamrian Abbasov.

ONE 169: Atlanta will air live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Tickets for the event, meanwhile, are available for purchase via Ticketmaster.

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Christian Lee-Alibeg Rasulov match one of four world title matches at ONE 169

The lightweight MMA world title clash between reigning champion Christian Lee and Turkish challenger Alibeg Rasulov is one of four world title fights on offer at ONE 169: Atlanta on Nov. 8.

Lee, 26, will be defending the lightweight gold for the first time since reclaiming it in August 2022. He is up against an opponent in Rasulov, 31, who kept his undefeated professional record by winning in his ONE debut back in July over former divisional king Ok Rae Yoon by unanimous decision.

Headlining ONE 169 is the heavyweight MMA world title clash between defending champion Anatoly Malykhin of Russia and challenger Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane of Senegal.

Also staking his world title belt is longtime flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon against Jacob Smith of the United Kingdom while featherweight Muay Thai top dog Tawanchai PK Saenchai dangles his against familiar foe and fellow Thai fighter Jo Nattawut.