“Couldn’t have done it without you” - Adrian Lee grateful for older brother Christian’s constant guidance at ONE 172

Christian and Adrian Lee's brotherhood has fully transcended into the ONE Championship ring.

Adrian has always followed the path his older brother Christian paved for him, and the younger Lee sibling is ready to take the next leap forward in his MMA career.

The 19-year-old rising star is coming off his third straight win when he submitted Takeharu Ogawa in their lightweight MMA contest at the stacked ONE 172 card on Sunday at the historic Saitama Super Arena.

In his older brother's Instagram post, Adrian expressed his gratitude to Christian and told the ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world champion that he couldn't have succeeded without 'The Warrior's' guidance.

Adrian Lee commented:

"Thank you, bro. I couldn't have done it without you."

Adrian Lee's comment on his brother Christian's Instagram post.

Christian has been Adrian's head coach even before 'The Phenom' made his ONE Championship debut in June 2024.

From showing Adrian the ropes in the amateur circuit, Christian ultimately guided his younger brother to the big stage, where their partnership produced a perfect 3-0 slate for the teenage phenom.

Adrian arrived on the scene when he submitted fellow young star Antonio Mammarella at ONE 167 in Bangkok.

He then scored another submission win when he took out Nico Cornejo at ONE 168: Denver before making it a hat trick in Saitama when he submitted Ogawa in the opening round of their ONE 172 matchup.

As for Christian, the two-division king is getting ready for another world title defense.

Christian returned to the ring at ONE Fight Night 26 in December 2024, two years after he took his sabbatical following the untimely passing of younger sister Victoria.

The 26-year-old defended his lightweight MMA strap against undefeated challenger Alibeg Rasulov, but their Bangkok meeting ended in a no-contest after the Turkish standout failed to continue after an accidental eye poke.

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Adrian Lee says a match against Kade Ruotolo is inevitable

Adrian Lee isn't the only young star making waves in the lightweight MMA division.

Kade Ruotolo, the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, is a perfect 3-0 in his MMA run, with all three of his wins coming via submission.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Adrian said it's almost inevitable that he and the 22-year-old Ruotolo would one day square off in an MMA match in ONE Championship.

"I definitely think a fight with Kade is kind of inevitable. He’s a huge other rising star in ONE Championship, and he has a big background in grappling. So I think that’s really pushing him. So I’m excited to fight him in the future," said Adrian Lee.