Dual champ Christian Lee admits he does “plan on leaving” the lightweight class, let younger bro Adrian hunt for the throne

Christian Lee knows he'll have to leave the lightweight MMA division once his younger brother Adrian builds enough momentum to start challenging for the throne.

In an interview with Nick Atkin for the Bangkok Post, Christian said he's not vacating the ONE lightweight MMA world title just yet, and he'd wait once Adrian becomes an undeniable contender in the division.

Christian, who also holds the ONE welterweight MMA world title, said:

"I won’t talk about any vacating right now, but I do plan on leaving the lightweight division for Adrian at some point in time."

Christian Lee is nearly synonymous with the ONE lightweight MMA world title, having won the gold four times across two separate reigns.

His first reign started in May 2019 when he stopped the legendary Shinya Aoki for the strap in Singapore.

That reign would last until September 2021, when he relinquished the throne to South Korean heavy-hitter Ok Rae Yoon.

Christian would get his revenge a year later when he battered Ok to reclaim the ONE lightweight MMA world title via second-round TKO in August 2022.

'The Warrior' ultimately added the ONE welterweight MMA world title to his trophy cabinet in November 2022 when he scored a comeback fourth-round TKO win over Kiamrian Abbasov.

After a nearly two-year sabbatical following the tragic passing of his younger sister, Victoria, Christian returned to the ring to defend his lightweight crown.

Christian's previous defense, however, ended in a whimper after Alibeg Rasulov couldn't recover in time from an accidental eye poke at ONE Fight Night 26.

As for Adrian, the 19-year-old is a perfect 3-0 in his first three matches in ONE Championship, with all three wins coming via submission.

Watch Christian's entire interview below:

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Christian Lee revels in his new coaching role

Christian Lee is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters of this generation, and he's already relaying that knowledge to the younger fighters in his gym.

The 26-year-old is one of the head coaches at Prodigy Training Center, named after his younger sister Victoria's nickname, in Hawaii.

One of Christian's prized students is his younger brother Adrian, and he's been the chief voice in the young star's corner in ONE Championship.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Christian said:

"It's one thing being a fighter, but another thing being on the other side and helping fighters to get better and improve, so I'm really enjoying it."