“One fight at a time” - Adrian Lee ready to take on the world as he continues to climb lightweight MMA ladder

'The Phenom' Adrian Lee is only three fights into his professional career at ONE Championship, but he already has the patience (and potential) of someone who's in it for the long haul.

The youngest member of the Lee fighting family went into ONE 172 in Japan to extend his undefeated record to a three-win streak, taking his opponent Takeharu Ogawa with a first-round submission via anaconda choke.

But despite three consecutive submissions, Adrian Lee isn't letting all the excitement rush him.

He told South China Morning Post:

"I definitely think when my coaches say I’m ready, I’ll be ready. For now, I’m taking it one fight at a time. Step by step, growing and evolving with my skill set so I can become the most complete fighter I can be."

---

“You can’t just be a specialist in one area” - Adrian Lee on the importance of being well-rounded ahead of ONE 172 return

As fighters train to surpass the competition, so does the competition go higher. Adrian Lee knows that in today's MMA scene, being a specialist just doesn't cut it anymore - you need well-rounded skills to come out on top.

Growing up in a fight family, Lee has a better understanding of it than most.

"I think with all these new next-gen MMA fighters who grow up doing everything, it’s definitely something you have to look out for," Lee said. "Because back in the day, you got the specialists in each category, but now you’ve got this new generation who’s trained everything from the beginning. I think the game is definitely changing. You can’t just be a specialist in one area. You kinda have to know it all to be at the very top."

Adrian Lee is still early in his career, but anyone watching can already see the kind of foundation that could very well bring him all the way to the top.

Watch ONE 172 via replay on watch.onefc.com.