Adrian Lee says Hawaii’s unforgiving wrestling culture toughened him for MMA: “It was a great experience”
He may be young but Adrian Lee believes he has enough experience competing against tough wrestlers in Hawaii to start a career in mixed martial arts.
The 18-year-old fighter, the younger brother of ONE lightweight and welterweight world champion Christian Lee and now-retired atomweight queen Angela Lee, will make his ONE Championship debut in June after signing with the promotion late last year.
Lee will be battling fellow ONE newcomer Antonio Mammarella in a lightweight MMA clash at ONE 167: Stamp vs Zamboanga on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Speaking on KHON2 News, the United MMA representative said that he is confident his MMA skill set can hold its own in ONE Championship, anchored on his crisp wrestling, which he said was honed by the tough wrestling scene in Hawaii.
Adrian Lee said:
"It was a great experience. There's a lot of tough wrestlers on the island and I was fortunate to win the state title."
Watch the interview below:
Before putting pen on paper, Lee was a four-time National Youth MMA champion and won the Hawaii High School State Wrestling Title in 2023.
Adrian is the latest member of the well-known Lee family to compete in ONE Championship after Christian and Angela as well as Victoria, who competed and won in three fights in the promotion but whose career was cut short after her untimely death at the age of 18 in December 2022.
ONE 167: Stamp vs Zamboanga can be witnessed live and for free on U.S. primetime by Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Adrian Lee says he is not a one-trick pony
While his base is wrestling, Adrian Lee said he is more than just that and looks to showcase it when he makes his ONE Championship debut on June 7 at ONE 167: Stamp vs Zamboanga.
The 18-year-old Singaporean-American fighter will battle Australian Antonio Mammarella in a featured lightweight MMA clash in the event happening at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the same interview with KHON2 News, Adrian Lee moved to highlight that while wrestling is a huge part of his game, he has also developed other skills to become a well-rounded fighter.
He said:
"I feel like I'm pretty well-rounded. Because we don't train any specific art, we train them all together."
Helping Lee prepare for his ONE debut is older brother Christian, the reigning lightweight and welterweight king, whose success in the promotion he wants to emulate.