“We worked so hard for his fight” - Adrian Lee admits he left no stone unturned for Nico Cornejo clash at ONE 168: Denver
Adrian Lee was satisfied with the result after "working so hard" for his latest fight at ONE 168: Denver. Earlier this year, Lee made his professional MMA debut under the ONE Championship banner.
The younger brother of Angela and Christian Lee showed why he's been labeled a future world champion, as he dominated Antonio Mammarella before securing a second-round submission.
On Sept. 6, 2024, 'The Phenom' returned to action and fought in North America during the action-packed ONE 168 event. Lee continued building momentum by submitting Nico Cornejo in round one and earning himself a handsome $50,000 performance bonus.
Following his second win, the 18-year-old joined his brother, Christian, for a post-fight media scrum. Adrian had this to say about his fight camp and performance:
"It's been a great week. This entire fight camp has been amazing with my brother and my dad as my coach. You know, we worked so hard for this fight, and I'm so happy it went the way it went."
Adrian Lee was one of seven fighters to receive a $50,000 bonus at ONE 168: Denver. For those who missed the event, the replay can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Adrian and Christian Lee's post-fight media scrum at ONE 168 below:
Adrian Lee is constantly evolving as a fighter
There aren't many negative takeaways from Adrian Lee's ONE Championship debut. One thing that could be said is that he was arguably over-excited and didn't seem comfortable, which is reasonable for a teenager in his first professional fight.
At ONE 168, 'The Phenom' showed improvement by quickly executing his game plan and overwhelming Nico Cornejo. Safe to say, Lee will put the entire ONE lightweight MMA roster on notice if he continues to evolve at this rate.
For now, Lee is focused on gaining experience while his brother, Christian Lee, runs the division. It's only a matter of time until the 18-year-old is a ONE Championship veteran with gold around his waist.
Watch the fight-ending sequence of Lee's win against Cornejo below: