'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
We got a glimpse of two-division MMA king Christian Lee at ONE 172 last Sunday - not as the headliner but as a coach in younger brother Adrian Lee's corner.
Adrian picked up his third straight win, all submissions. But fans may be wondering: What's next for Christian?
He answers this question in the official pre-event show for ONE 172:
"I’m just shifting my focus to the welterweight division," he said. "And I know that I’ve got a tough fight ahead of me. I’m looking forward to defending my welterweight belt. I won it two years ago now and I haven’t been able to defend it, so I feel like it’s my job as the champion of that division to go there and defend the title."
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world champion hasn't fought in the welterweight division since his title win against Kiamran Abbasov in 2022, where he secured the belt via fourth-round TKO.
Following the death of his sister, Victoria Lee, in the same year, Christian stepped away from the limelight to focus on his family. He recently returned to the Circle in December of 2024 in a lightweight title defense that ended as a no contest due to an accidental eye poke.
Adrian Lee recalls the time Christian Lee put 'thousands of reps' in training to KO Timofey Nastyukhin: "He executed it perfectly"
Christian Lee didn't become a two-division king thanks to luck. His success has always been rooted in discipline, preparation, and putting in the work. It's something that his brother Adrian has seen up close for years.
Reflecting on Christian's KO win over Timofey Nastyukhin in 2021, Adrian talked about how satisfying it was to watch it play out exactly as planned:
"Definitely, it's so rewarding seeing all my brother's hard work pay off in the ring, especially ringside. I see him going through everything that we worked on, thousands of reps on it, like the Timofey (Nastyukhin) fight. We worked that so much, that counter, and he executed it perfectly."
Adrian Lee himself has been putting in the work to sharpen his skills, guided by Christian, and has brought up his promotional record to three straight wins.
ONE 172 is available via replay on watch.onefc.com.
