7Many fans look forward to how a debuting fighter will perform against high-level competition and those watching ONE 167 last Friday, June 7 got their first real look at Adrian Lee.
'The Phenom' faced Australia's Antonio Mammarella in a lightweight MMA contest and he looked mighty comfortable inside the Circle.
Cornered and trained by his brother Christian Lee, the ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world champion, Adrian blitzed Mammarella from the opening bell and even threatened an anaconda choke early in the contest.
However, Mammarella was able to survive the initial onslaught and reach round two where he tried his hardest to get back in the contest.
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Midway through the second frame though, Lee was able to take Mammarella's back and locked in a rear-naked choke to force a submission in his long-awaited ONE Championship debut.
For such an impressive showing at age 18, the Prodigy Training Center was awarded a $50,000 performance bonus.
Some early impressions from Adrian Lee's first ONE Championship bout
Spending time with his older brother certainly paid off as Adrian Lee's performance was highly reminiscent of how Christian Lee fought earlier in his ONE Championship career, with nothing but pedal to the medal action.
While having the ability to push the pace is great in any combat sport, no one can deny that it does increase the likelihood of making a mistake that might turn into a disastrous situation - much like how Christian Lee absorbed his first loss.
Putting all of it aside though, the young Singaporean-American knew that Mammarella would not be able to hang with him and his sharp striking and well-timed takedowns all contributed to him getting the big win.
There is no denying that the sky is the limit for Lee's potential and fans will surely be on the watch for his next fight.