Nico Cornejo fired up to unleash his ‘underdog story’ in debut at ONE 168: Denver: “A great opportunity for me”

Nico Corenjo is fully embracing his role as an underdog.

Ready to proudly represent his hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, 'The Steel City Kid' will make his ONE Championship debut on Friday, September 6 when he heads to The Mile High City for a loaded ONE 168: Denver card.

There, Cornejo will be tasked with taking out highly touted teen phenom Adrian Lee—the youngest member of the legendary Lee family that has produced a slew of world champions, including current two-division titleholder Christian Lee and former atomweight MMA queen Angela Lee.

During an appearance on the Denver Sports Betting podcast, Cornejo spoke about his unlikely opportunity to compete on martial arts' biggest global stage and fully embracing his status as a true underdog.

"This is a true underdog story," Cornejo said. "Born and raised in Colorado. This is a great opportunity for me. My coach told me I’m the first Pueblo fighter to be signed to a major organization like ONE Championship. ONE Championship is global, all around the world. So I’m just taking it all in. Soaking it in like a sponge."

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Nico Cornejo looks to land a win over budding superstar Adrian Lee at ONE 168: Denver

Thus far, Nico Cornejo has been impressive in his mixed martial arts career. After going 5-0 as an amateur, he made the move to pro in 2023 and quickly scored back-to-back knockouts on the Colorado regional scene.

Heading to Ball Arena in The Centennial State, he'll face one of MMA's most intriguing prospects in Adrian Lee.

Just 18 years old, Lee made his ONE Championship debut in June at ONE 167 in Bangkok, securing a second-round submission victory over Italian standout Antonio Mammarella.

Who comes out on top when two budding superstars collide at one of the biggest combat sports events of 2024?

Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.