MMA prodigy Adrian Lee targets a first-round finish of Antonio Mammarella: "As soon as possible"
Adrian Lee has big shoes to fill, given the success of his elder siblings under the ONE Championship banner.
Despite the pressure, the Prodigy Training Center affiliate remains cool-headed heading into his lightweight MMA matchup against Antonio Mammarella inside Bangkok's Impact Arena this Friday.
In fact, the youngest of the famed Lee siblings does not plan on holding anything back when he opens his professional MMA account at ONE 167 on June 7.
The Singaporean-American, in a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, declared that he aims to turn the Australian's lights out from the sound of the bell.
Adrian Lee said:
"I plan to go out there and make a statement and bring an exciting fight. I plan to finish it in the first round, you know, as soon as possible."
Watch the full interview here:
For Lee, this opportunity to tick two debuts off his list has been on his mind even before he officially inked a deal with the world's largest martial arts organization this past December.
Though the extremely competitive nature of the combat sports realm will provide the teenage phenom tougher challenges as he starts ascending the ranks, it won't be anything entirely new for the Hawaii-based athlete.
His success within the amateur ranks, which includes multiple national youth MMA championships and a Hawaii high school state wrestling title, has prepped him well for this moment.
Besides, with the likes of world championship-winning siblings Christian and Angela by his side, the 18-year-old sensation should have it in him to get his pro-MMA account and promotional tenure off to a sweet start.
Anatoly Malykhin backs Adrian Lee for success in ONE Championship
Meanwhile, MMA's first three-division king Anatoly Malykhin had nothing but praise for the young superstar ahead of a career-defining chapter in his young career.
Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, 'Sladkiy' had this to say on Adrian Lee:
"I think he's a professional and has great genes, with so many champions in his family. I believe he knows how to handle it [the pressure of being a pro-fighter]. His family knows how to handle it."
ONE 167 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America this Friday, June 7, live in U.S. primetime for free.