Christian Lee targets welterweight and lightweight return by the year-end: “I’ll have two good fights in both divisions”
ONE Championship megastar Christian Lee expects to defend both his lightweight and welterweight world titles before the end of the year.
It's been nearly two years since 'The Warrior' added the welterweight strap to his collection, scoring an incredible come-from-behind victory knockout against Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE on Prime Video 4 — becoming a two-division world champion in the process.
A month later, tragedy struck as Lee's younger sister and ONE Championship prospect Victoria Lee passed away. Since then, he has been on the sidelines, mourning the loss and helping his brother, Adrian Lee, make the most of his promotional debut at ONE 167 in Bangkok.
Speaking with the South China Morning Post following Adrian Lee's big win against Antonio Mammarella at the event, Christian Lee revealed that he plans to compete twice, defending both belts by the time the clock runs out on 2024.
"I think it was just, you know, a matter of just a little mixup in both divisions, with fighters dropping out and then, you know, different fights falling out," Lee said. "So I think by the end of the year, definitely I'll have two good fights in both divisions."
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE 167 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.
Christian Lee will look to add to his already impressive legacy in 2024
At just 25 years old, Christian Lee is already the most prolific finishers in ONE Championship history, scoring 16 finishes against 17 career wins—12 KOs and four submissions.
Along the way, he has earned victories over the likes of Japanese MMA icon Shinya Aoki, Dagi Arslanaliev, the late Iuri Lapicus, Timofey Nastyukhin, Ok Rae Yoon, and the aforementioned Kiamrian Abbasov.
Who would you like to see 'The Warrior' square off with when he makes his highly anticipated return to the Circle later this year?