“He’s gonna be back at his best” - Adrian Lee confident brother and coach Christian Lee will not miss a step in his return

Adrian Lee believes his older brother, Christian Lee, will "be back at his best" when he returns to action later this year.

In December 2024, Christian headlined ONE Fight Night 26 following a two-year layoff. The two-sport MMA world champion took the needed time to recover from the tragic passing of his younger sister, Victoria Lee.

The lightweight title defense against Alibeg Rasulov ended prematurely due to Lee landing an accidental eye poke, leading to a no-contest.

Christian's younger brother, undefeated lightweight MMA prospect Adrian Lee, believes 'The Warrior' will bounce back. Adrian had this to say during a recent interview with the South China Morning Post:

"My brother was out of the game for a little bit. And he’s been helping me prepare for my fighting career. But now, he’s at his back, but I’m sure he’s gonna be back at his best in the next one."

Adrian Lee's interview with SCMP took place after his latest win, a first-round anaconda choke submission win over Japanese talent Takeharu Ogawa at ONE 172.

The 19-year-old now holds a professional record of 3-0 and secured a $50,000 performance bonus for the third time in a row inside the Saitama Super Arena.

Watch Adrian Lee's entire interview with the South China Morning Post below:

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Christian Lee plans to defend welterweight title next time out

Christian Lee's no-contest against Alibeg Rasulov created an unclear future for his next fight. 'The Warrior' must choose between an immediate rematch against Rasulov or defending his welterweight title for the first time.

During the ONE 172 pre-show, Christian Lee revealed he will defend his welterweight strap when he returns to action:

""I’m just shifting my focus to the welterweight division. 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."

Christian Lee captured the welterweight MMA world title with a fourth-round TKO win against Kiamrian Abbasov in November 2022.

Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, Lee is expected to defend his strap against Zebaztian Kadestam, a former world champion coming off three consecutive knockout wins.

Watch the entire ONE 172 pre-show featuring Christian Lee's previously mentioned comments below: