“We strive to come out better from this” – ONE debutant Adrian Lee on the tragic loss of sister Victoria
ONE Championship debutant and the youngest member of the Lee MMA family, Adrian Lee, will finally fight on the global stage at ONE 167 on June 7. Across the ring from him will be Italy's Antonio Mammarella in a three-round lightweight MMA contest.
Adrian is the youngest sibling of former ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Angela Lee and two-division ONE world champion Christian Lee. In December 2022, the Lees were struck with a horrible tragedy caused by the sudden death of their sister and fellow ONE athlete Victoria 'The Prodigy' Lee.
Angela Lee took a year-long hiatus and eventually retired from the sport to focus on her advocacy for helping pro fighters cope with mental health problems. Christian Lee, the reigning ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world champion, has been under the radar since losing his youngest sister.
Enter Adrian Lee, who decided to carry the flag for his family and continue their legacy in the world of MMA. On how he coped with losing his sister and preparing for his upcoming ONE debut, the 18-year-old prodigy told KHON2 News on YouTube:
“Me and my brother spent all our time at the gym working hard, and, you know, we strive to come out better from this.”
Watch the full interview here:
Adrian Lee is a highly accomplished amateur MMA champion
Coming into ONE 167, Adrian Lee wouldn't be a novice debuting in the pro leagues. The young prodigy is a highly accomplished amateur MMA champion and has won titles in various combat sports as well.
Aside from being a Hawaii High School State Wrestling champion, Lee is also a four-time National Youth MMA champion. In December 2022, Adrian Lee captured his first amateur MMA world title at Tough Man Hawaii.
Angela Lee posted about her brother's win with the caption:
"BIG CONGRATUTLATIONS to these two young men right here! Last night, Bruno, Ava and I flew over 32 hours from Brazil straight to Hilo to watch @adrianleemma and @achiever.mma compete in the Tough Man Hawaii Show! 👊🏼💥 Adrian was the main event and he won the belt and world title via second round Guillotine! It was an amazing fight and I'm gonna try to find that footage to share with you all 🙌🏼"
Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can witness ONE 167: Stamp vs Zamboanga as it happens live on US Primetime free of charge.