"Hard to think of anyone other than him" - Christian Lee believes Zebaztian Kadestam is a clear frontrunner for welterweight crown

Two-division ONE MMA world champion Christian Lee sees an outright contender to his welterweight throne. The athlete in question? None other than former kingpin Zebaztian Kadestam.

'The Warrior' was in attendance at ONE 167 last week to corner his younger brother, Adrian, for his victorious pro-MMA debut and promotional bow against Australia's Antonio Mammarella.

While excited to wear another hat on the global stage and guide his sibling through every chapter of his career as it unfolds, the lightweight and welterweight world champion is yearning for a return to action himself.

Touching on a possible dance partner for his first welterweight world title defense, Christian Lee summed up why only one name makes thorough sense. He told the South China Morning Post:

"At welterweight, Zebaztian Kadestam. In my opinion, he's one of the clear frontrunners for a title shot. I mean, he's a former champion. He just came off a great knockout over Roberto Soldic. Hard to think of anyone other than him."

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The Evolve MMA and Prodigy Training Center affiliate was last in action when he realized his two-division dream against Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November 2022.

Before that crowning achievement, the 25-year-old, who owns the most finishes inside the ONE Circle, added another highlight-reel win to his resume to reclaim the ONE lightweight MMA world champion from the hands of Ok Rae Yoon.

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Christian Lee's next contender at lightweight could arise from a key fixture at ONE Fight Night 23

While 'The Warrior' sees Kadestam as a clear favorite for his welterweight crown, Ok has positioned himself as a favorite for the lightweight crown after he bounced back from his defeat to Christian Lee with a dominant unanimous win over Lowen Tynanes at ONE Fight Night 10 in May last year.

The South Korean will return to the global stage against promotional newcomer Alibeg Rasulov at ONE Fight Night 23 on July 5.

Should he extend his winning form and gain a fifth promotional triumph, the Team Mad representative could well punch a ticket back into world title contention.

Active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 23 card live in U.S. primetime for free.