“He’s been waiting patiently” - Christian Lee says former welterweight champ Zebaztian Kadestam deserves a shot at throne

Christian Lee believes his next fight will be against Zebaztian Kadestam.

Lee, a two-sport MMA world champion in ONE Championship, made his highly anticipated return in December 2024. The 26-year-old was previously sidelined for two years to recover from the tragic passing of his younger sister, Victoria Lee.

Lee's return, a lightweight title defense against Alibeg Rasulov, didn't go as planned. The bout ended with a no-contest because Lee landed an eye poke.

'The Warrior' doesn't plan on booking an immediate rematch against Rasulov. Instead, he is eyeing a welterweight title defense next time out.

During an interview with the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Lee had this to say about Zebaztian Kadestam deserving the next welterweight title shot:

"I think so. He’s been waiting patiently. I don’t know when he’s fighting next but I’m planning to defend my welterweight belt and if he wants to step up - and I’m sure that he would - then I think that fight will be the next one."

Christian Lee's interview with SCMP took place at ONE 172. The two-sport world champion was at the event to corner his younger brother, Adrian Lee, a 19-year-old lightweight MMA phenom.

The youngest Lee sibling extended his ONE Championship record to 3-0 at ONE 172, earning his third consecutive submission and $50,000 performance bonus.

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

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Zebaztian Kadestam's bounce-back run created opportunity to fight Christian Lee

Zebaztian Kadestam is a former ONE welterweight MMA world champion with a promotional record of 7-4, all wins by KO/TKO.

Between 2019 and 2021, Kadestam endured a rough patch in his fighting career, suffering three consecutive losses against Kiamrian Abbasov, Gadzhimurad Abdulaev, and Murad Ramazanov.

Kadestam bounced back in 2022 with back-to-back first-round knockout wins against Valmir Da Silva and Iuri Lapicus.

In May 2023, 'The Bandit' solidified himself as the number one welterweight contender with a highlight-reel knockout against Roberto Soldic.

Soldic has since bounced back with a violent first-round knockout win against Dagi Arslanaliev, putting him back into the welterweight title picture.

Watch Kadestam's knockout win against Soldic below: