One of America’s greatest fighting dynasties will unleash its latest prodigy at ONE 167 on June 8.
Adrian Lee will become the latest member of the famous Lee family to represent in ONE Championship when he faces Australian-based Italian Antonio Mammarella at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
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The 18-year-old was, in many ways, born to fight.
A native of Oahu, Hawaii, Lee’s Singaporean father and South Korean mother were both experienced martial artists and, naturally, Lee himself donned a gi from an early age.
“I’ve been on the mats ever since I learned how to walk. I think I started training around 3 years old,” he said.
“Everything I’m usually focused on is anything related to MMA, but occasionally I do like to play video games on the weekend.”
As the youngest of four siblings, Lee had some high-level role models while growing up.
His oldest sister Angela was ONE’s first teenage world champion and held the ONE women’s atomweight MMA world title from 2016 until her retirement in 2023. And his older brother Christian still holds ONE’s lightweight and welterweight MMA crowns.
But it wasn’t until the younger Lee tasted competition that he followed in their footsteps.
“I always had a lot of fun training in MMA. However, I found that I had a true passion for it once I started competing,” he said.
“I think I had a pretty steady and gradual increase in my skills throughout the years, but once I really started focusing on MMA and decided that this is something I wanted to pursue, that was when my skills were able to vastly jump.
“I think at around 13 years old when I won Worlds was when I found out that I could really do this.”
After going undefeated across multiple disciplines as an amateur competitor, Lee signed with ONE to much fanfare in 2024.
Despite being a teenager, the United MMA representative has had a long apprenticeship in martial arts.
With the help of his famous siblings, of course, he has an elite support system to help him navigate the notoriously unforgiving world of combat sports.
“All these big tournaments, they’re always the most nerve-wracking thing ever. But luckily, I’ve had all my siblings who’ve gone through it already, so I’ve always had their support on all of it,” he said.
“My brother, he’s been here with me every step of the way and the main thing he tells me is to stay focused on the goal and don’t let anything distract you.
“Angela told me a little bit about staying mentally sound, to make sure that you keep your mental health and physical health in check.”
Lee’s other sister, Victoria, tragically passed away at just 18 years old in December 2022. She also showed a promising career in her three victorious appearances under the ONE banner before her life was devastatingly cut short.
Angela announced her retirement in wake of the tragedy, while Christian and Adrian have vowed to honour their late sister through their fighting careers.
Reflecting on his relationship with Victoria, Adrian revealed the lessons he learned from her along the way.
“Me and my sister were very close. And since we were close in age, we did everything together,” he said.
“One quality I admired about her would probably be her determination. She was very goal-orientated and very determined and focused.”
In a similar vein to his siblings, Lee has lofty goals for his fighting career, and the first step on his journey as a professional is beating Mammarella.
The 24-year-old Italian lives and trains in Sydney at the renowned Family Fight Team alongside ONE stars Coopar Royal and Faine Mesquita.
Despite Lee’s big plans, he insists that he’ll give his undefeated foe the respect that he deserves.
“Right now, the only thing on my mind is beating Antonio Mammarella. However, after that, I plan on becoming the lightweight champ and possibly two-division champ,” he said.
“Of course, all the competition that I’ve had previous to this will help me handle the pressure. But I just believe in my training and when the time comes, I’ll be ready for it.”