“I’m prepared to defend either belt” - Two-division king Christian Lee eyes ONE Championship return on U.S. card

Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world champion 'The Warrior' Christian Lee of the United States says he wants to return to action at the soonest possible time.

That being said, the 25-year-old is looking for a spot on ONE Championship's upcoming U.S. cards in Denver and Atlanta.

ONE Championship will return to Denver, Colorado on Friday, September 6th when it hosts ONE 168: Denver at the Ball Arena. Then on Friday, November 8th, the promotion heads to the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia for ONE 170.

Lee says he would like to fight as soon as possible. 'The Warrior' told Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview:

"I’d love to fight in Atlanta, we’ll see. Whichever one comes first, if they can get me a fight in September, I’ll take it, but if not, then November."

As for which belt he would like to defend first, Lee says it doesn't even matter. He is more than willing to put either the lightweight or welterweight straps on the line when he steps back inside the Circle.

Lee added:

"I’m prepared to defend either belt, whichever one they can get a clear contender first."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Christian Lee's next fight.

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Christian Lee says Zebaztian Kadestam is 'definitely the clear contender' at welterweight

Talking about clear contenders, there's one man in the welterweight division who is no doubt worthy of a title shot- former welterweight MMA king Zebaztian 'The Bandit' Kadestam.

The 33-year-old Kadestam defeated highly regarded Roberto 'Robocop' Soldic at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video in May of 2023 to earn the shot against Lee, and it appears that this is the next fight to make.

Lee told Sportskeeda MMA:

"I think in the welterweight division, definitely the clear contender would be [Zebaztian] Kadestam. He’s a former champion, he’s also coming off a great knockout over Roberto Soldic, so, you know, it’s hard to pass him up, definitely. In the welterweight division, I think he will be next."