“It was never an option” - Christian Lee says retirement from MMA never crossed his mind

Double ONE world champion Christian Lee has not competed in nearly two years. Despite the layoff, though, retirement has never crossed his mind.

'The Warrior' made this known in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, underscoring that while the past couple of years have been tough for him personally, he remains committed to the profession he has chosen to pick up.

The 25-year-old ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world champion said:

"Of course it was a tough time. Fighting was the last thing I was thinking about. But at the end of the day, this is the profession I chose. I have a family to take care of, and it's still something that I love to do. I love to go out there and train, I love to go out there and fight, so, yes, I think at the end of the day, it was never going to be an option for me."

Watch the interview below:

Christian Lee is currently on a self-imposed break from competing as he continues to mourn the untimely passing of younger sister and fellow ONE fighter Victoria in December 2022. The young Lee took her own life at the age of 18.

ONE is giving Christian all the time he needs to grieve but is expecting him to return to action at some point in the near future.

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Christian Lee guided younger brother Adrian in ONE debut

While he remains out of competition, Christian Lee has remained in touch with MMA through his younger brother Adrian, who he helped train for his ONE Championship debut recently.

Adrian debuted at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut on June 7 in Thailand. He was impressive in second-round submission victory over fellow debutant Antonio Mammarella in their lightweight MMA bout.

The win also earned him a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

In an interview with The Straits Times in the lead-up of his debut, Adrian spoke about the important role that Christian Lee played in his preparation, saying:

"My brother, who is now my head coach, has been here step by step with me. He told me to just stay focused on the game plan."

Christian Lee was last in action in November 2022 when he claimed the vacant ONE welterweight MMA world title with a fourth-round TKO of former divisional king Kiamrian Abbasov. He added the belt to the lightweight gold already in his possession.