“They’ve done it step by step” - Adrian Lee says he always took inspiration from his world champion siblings in his pro career

Adrian Lee didn't need to look far for his mixed martial arts inspirations.

Growing up in a family of fighters, Adrian looked up to his world champion siblings Angela and Christian Lee, vowing to follow on the pair's incredible run in ONE Championship.

Adrian is the youngest of the famed Lee siblings and the young star told Sports Illustrated that Christian and Angela built the foundation he would eventually stand up on when he got called to the big leagues.

He said:

"They've done it step by step, and they're just helping and leading me on the way, too."

Christian and Angela are two of the biggest stars in ONE Championship history, with the pair holding gold in their respective divisions.

Angela is the inaugural ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion and she held on to the gold from May 2016 until her retirement in September 2023.

Christian, meanwhile, is the current ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world champion.

'The Warrior' captured the ONE lightweight MMA world title when he scored a technical knockout win over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in May 2019.

He then added the welterweight MMA strap to his trophy cabinet when he stopped Kiamrian Abbasov in November 2022.

Apart from his world titles, Christian also holds multiple records in ONE Championship.

The champ-champ has the most wins (17), most finishes (16), and most knockouts (12) in the promotion's history.

Adrian Lee, meanwhile, is still far from his older siblings' status.

Nevertheless, the 18-year-old has built a strong 2-0 start in the promotion, with submission wins over Antonio Mammarella at ONE 167 and Nico Cornejo at ONE 168: Denver.

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Adrian Lee credits Antonio Mammarella and Nico Cornejo in his quest to achieve his best possible version

Adrian Lee often showed great maturity for his age, and that emotional intelligence extends to how he treats his fallen opponents.

In his media scrum at ONE 168 earlier this month at Ball Arena, Adrian credited Mammarella and Cornejo as two important figures in his development as a mixed martial artist.

Adrian Lee said his older brother Christian is one of the main reasons for his development, but he also praised his fallen opponents for their role in his young career.

"I would say my brother [Christian Lee], because he's my main training partner, and he's always been there for me. I would say Antonio Mammarella And Nico Cornejo had a big part and they're going to have a big part of my career because all these fights are just building my experience and making me a better fighter."