"He would obviously be the favorite" - Spencer Lee embraces the underdog role ahead of the showdown with Masanosuke Ono

Spencer Lee recently acknowledged that Masanosuke Ono is the likely favorite in their upcoming match. Lee compared his performance at the Olympics to Ono's at the World Championship, noting how the Japanese wrestler excelled at the competitive level.

Lee and Ono will bring elite performance to their anticipated matchup, each dominating their respective weight classes. Lee, an Olympic silver medalist and three-time NCAA champion, has a 38-1 senior-level record. Meanwhile, Ono remains undefeated at 61 kg with a 13-0 record, outscoring opponents 120-6 with nine technical falls.

In a video shared by Flo Wrestling on Instagram, NCAA champion Spencer Lee reflected on Ono's performance. The video was shared alongside a caption:

Spencer Lee thinks Masanosuke Ono is the favorite in their match. Do you agree? #LeevsOno

In the video, Lee said (0:01 onwards):

"I'm excited for someone who might be favored to beat me, right? He probably is, not might be he definitely is. Considering the circumstances of how he competed in the world, considering how I competed at the olympics, he would obviously be the favorite. I think that's fun for people to see someone who may not have been an underdog for a long."

When Spencer Lee welcomed challenge against World Champion Masanosuke Ono

Spencer Lee at the 2024 Paris Olympics: Day 14 - Source: Getty

Spencer Lee will face Masanosuke Ono in a highly anticipated wrestling match on Wednesday, February 26, at 7:30 pm E.T. In an interview with Flo Wrestling last month, Lee recognized Ono's dominance on the international stage, making the Japanese the top competitor in the world.

Reflecting on the upcoming match, the interviewer asked (0:09 onwards):

"What made you jump at the opportunity?"

Lee responded:

"As a competitor um I want to wrestle the best guys in the world and right now he's the best guy in the world and he's we above me so I figured it'd be a lot of fun to put on kind of like a show match."

Here's the match order for the event:

Cruzer Dominguez vs. Ethan Humphrey, Abdi Unle vs. Alexander Pierce, Riley Johnson vs. Lincoln Jipp, Nathan Tomasello vs. Daniel DeShazer, Marcus Coleman vs. Jay Aiello, Xochitl Mota-Pettis vs. Melanie Nahomi, Amanda Martinez vs. Zeltzin Hernandez, Nate Jackson vs. Kennedy Monday, Austin DeSanto vs. Seth Gross, Bryce Andonian vs. Austin Gomez, Zahid Valencia vs. Trent Hidlay, David Carr vs. Daichi Takatani, Spencer Lee vs Masanosuke Ono.