Christian Lee‘s love for martial arts may go beyond that of most athletes. In fact, his passion for the culture and thirst for competition has helped him become one of ONE Championship’s brightest MMA stars today.
Lee has earned a plethora of accolades in ONE Championship. Currently, the Singaporean-American holds the records for most wins (15), stoppage victories (14), and knockouts (10) in the promotion’s history.
But also, he became the youngest-ever male MMA world champion when he captured the ONE lightweight world title at age 20.
After suffering a controversial decision loss to Ok Rae Yoon and losing his title in their first encounter in September 2021, the lifelong martial artist will have a chance to redeem himself.
Lee will challenge the South Korean for the gold in the main event of ONE 160 on Friday, and there is no doubt in his mind that he’ll leave the Singapore Indoor Stadium with the belt once again.
“I definitely believe that I’m going to win this fight,” the 24-year-old Hawaii resident said. “If it is a close decision I can see how they can set up a trilogy fight, but if the fight goes how I plan on it going – I’m going to take him out quick and finish him – then there’s going to be no need for a rematch.”
Lee has a deep background in the martial arts. He was exposed to combat sports at a very young age thanks to his parents, Ken and Jewelz, who own United MMA gym in Hawaii.
They passed on everything they knew about boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and pankration to Christian and his siblings, including ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee and up-and-coming star Victoria Lee.
Ken’s goal was to teach his children the skills they would need to defend themselves if things ever got rough, but those lessons soon turned from a hobby to a passion for Lee.
He started participating in local grappling and striking tournaments, coming out on top in most of them. In 2012, at age 14, “The Warrior” won a U.S. national tournament in pankration. Later that same year, he followed up that success by winning his first world championship in Athens, Greece.
It was with that triumph that Lee decided what he wanted to focus on for the rest of his life. Luckily, with his parents at his side to impart their immense knowledge, the young star had everything he needed to rapidly progress.
“After that moment, it really solidified that this is what I want to do,” he recalled.
“I remember telling my parents, ‘Mom and Dad, I want to become a professional martial artist.’ I was 14 years old when I said it. And with the support of my parents, my dreams became a reality.”
“I really believe the family bond we have is what brought us to the top so fast.”
Becoming a professional athlete is never easy, however, so Lee had to dedicate even more time to his craft than he already was.
“The Warrior” woke up at 5 a.m. to run, lifted weights after his classes, and trained until he went to bed.
When he entered his senior year of high school, the phenom’s dream started to take shape. He and Angela flew to Singapore in August 2015 to try out for the Evolve Fight Team.
Both of them flourished and made the squad. Soon thereafter, he signed a contract with ONE Championship.
Lee made his professional debut at “ONE: Spirit of Champions” that December against Australia’s David Meak, and he still remembers it as a strange experience.
“My first professional bout was completely surreal to me,” he said.
“I was so excited, and basically everything stopped. The moment I found out about my match, everything stopped, and my whole focus was on that bout.”
Lee’s hard work had been leading to this moment, and in the end, it was over before he knew it. He needed only 29 seconds to dispatch his foe by TKO.
Since then, the Singaporean-American has competed inside the ONE circle 18 more times, defeating several top names in the sport while pushing his record to an impressive 15-4.
On Friday, another tough challenge awaits the former ONE lightweight world champion inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
If he can level the scores against Ok and reclaim the divisional throne, Lee will prove once again that his star is burning brightly.
