Chatri Sityodtong says Christian Lee "very fired up" for return to action

Two-division ONE world champion Christian Lee has been inactive throughout 2023 to focus on his family following the tragic passing of younger sister, Victoria, in December last year.

However, fans can expect to see the dominant kingpin strap on the four-ounce gloves with his targeted comeback date now confirmed.

The lightweight and welterweight king is expected to return in February, as ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently revealed.

2023 has been a difficult year for the Lee, but it has also brought some new additions to their family as Sityodtong spoke about in a recent interview with the South China Morning Post:

“He’s just had another child, Tommy, after his first daughter Alia. A lot has happened this year for Christian Lee in addition to him having to heal and mourn the loss of Victoria.

Sityodtong, a lifelong martial artist, continued, stating that despite all of his time off, he has high expectations for when he return:

“He is very fired up. He’s been training for the last few months, he says he’s in his best form ever.”

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The return of Christian Lee is a huge draw for ONE in 2024

The last time that ONE Championship fans saw Christian Lee, he was right at the top of his game, securing the biggest accomplishment of his career.

Having won back his lightweight title from Ok Rae Yoon, he moved up a weight class to challenge Kiarian Abbasov for the welterweight title.

ONE on Prime Video 4 was an unforgettable night with Lee securing double-champ status in one of the best fights of the year.

Being a titleholder across two divisions, however, comes with a bigger target on his back, and his absence throughout 2023 has left a lot of challengers waiting for their title shots on his return.

Now that he is fully back on the comeback trail, the lightweight and welterweight divisions are about to get a whole lot more exciting.