Christian Lee, a two-division ONE Championship champion, is returning to competition after a hiatus following his sister Victoria’s tragic death, during which he focused on mentoring his younger brother Adrian and building their new gym in Hawaii.
It’s been over two years since Christian Lee last stepped into the cage. Questions swirled about his return after his sister Victoria Lee’s tragic passing.
At 26, the dual-division ONE Championship champion faced immense grief. Victoria’s death in December 2022 sent shockwaves, altering the Lee family forever.
In response, Angela Lee retired, focusing on mental health through her non-profit. The family’s martial arts gym closed, and Christian took a lengthy break from fighting.
“I didn’t want to do anything,” Lee told MMA Fighting. “I closed my gym down. I wasn’t thinking about fighting.”
But eventually, he felt ready. Ready to reopen his gym and return to the sport he loves.
“For me, fighting is my life’s work,” he explained. “It was time to get back to work, feed my family again.”
Though the original gym remains shut, Christian launched a new facility in Hawaii. Initially, it was all about helping his brother Adrian prepare for MMA.
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong hesitated to sign Adrian after Victoria’s death but ultimately agreed. Christian ensured Adrian had everything he needed — especially an older brother’s support.
“I shifted focus to my brother,” Lee said proudly. “He got his first two wins in that time.”
Christian and Adrian trained one-on-one for six months. “He went from a high school kid to a professional fighter,” Christian marveled.
Now, Christian prepares for his own comeback with a welterweight title defense against Alibeg Rasulov in Thailand.
The break was necessary and beneficial, given his relentless decade-long career since signing with ONE at 16.
As a two-division champion, he’s arguably ONE’s top pound-for-pound fighter. But that success came at a cost.
“The time off was good mentally and physically,” Lee admitted. “At 26, sometimes I feel like an old man.”
With Prodigy Training Center thriving, he’s now the elder statesman in the gym. Once the youngest fighter, now a mentor and coach.
“It’s a lot of work,” Lee acknowledged. “But it’s time to work harder than ever.”
His day starts early — training begins at 5:30 a.m., leaving room for family time before returning to train others.
“It’s busy,” he said with a smile. “Dinner might be at 9 p.m., but it feels good to work hard and give back.”