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ONE lightweight MMA world champion Christian Lee has taken note of the strides that grappling champion Kade Ruotolo has made in MMA but does not see him as a threat to the title just yet. He even expects his younger brother Adrian Lee to get a title shot ahead of the Atos standout.
'The Warrior' pointed this out in an interview on The Brian Campbell Experience podcast, which was uploaded on Nov. 27, in line with his long-awaited return to action next month following a two-year self-imposed break to mourn a family tragedy.
In the conversation, Christian Lee touched, among other things, on lightweight submission grappling world champion Ruotolo's transition to MMA and trajectory of his campaign. He said:
"I do see him (Ruotolo) on track to getting a title shot and I don't have a doubt that he will get there. But we'll see if we ever end up crossing paths because I know my brother's coming up right behind me, and I wouldn't surprised if Adrian gets a title shot before he does."
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Check out Christian Lee's comments below (7:09):
Like Ruotolo, who is 2-0 in MMA, Adrian Lee is an emerging force in the lightweight MMA division. He won his first two matches in ONE Championship since making his promotional debut in June, both by way of submission.
Christian Lee returns to defend ONE lightweight MMA world title
Christian Lee returns to action after two years to defend his ONE lightweight MMA world title against undefeated Turkish challenger Alibeg Rasulov at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6 in Thailand.
It will be the headlining contest of the event happening at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium and airing live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
ONE Fight Night 26 marks the first match of Lee since his last fight in November 2022, where he added the vacant welterweight MMA belt to his collection. It is also his first defense of the lightweight gold since reclaiming it in August 2022.
Looking to dethrone Lee in his return is Rasulov, who made a winning ONE debut back in July with a decision victory over former bantamweight king Ok Rae Yoon of South Korea. The win was his 14th straight win in as many matches for his career to date.
