Adrian Lee is not wasting time climbing the ladder in the professional ranks after his debut last June. ‘The Phenom’ is set to compete at ONE 168: Denver, the promotion’s return to the United States, on Friday, September 6 inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. He will compete against local hero Nicholas ‘The Steel City Kid’ Cornejo in a lightweight MMA contest that fans shouldn’t miss.

Lee built his reputation in the martial arts scene by winning titles in the Pankration World Championships, a Hawaii High School State Wrestling Title, and a kickboxing title while he is still a teenager. With this, together with the fact that he comes from martial arts royalty, it came as no surprise that there was plenty of hype surrounding his debut.

Adrian Lee’s champion siblings

His oldest sister, ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee, was the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion and went on to win every match in her division before vacating the belt in a surprising announcement of her retirement last year.

His older brother, Christian ‘The Warrior’ Lee, is the reigning ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Champion. He is expected to return this year after taking a couple of years off to mourn a family tragedy and grow his own family.

Finally, his other sister, Victoria ‘The Prodigy’ Lee, started her career hot with three straight finishes upon joining the world’s largest martial arts organization in 2021. She took 2022 off to focus on her studies but unfortunately passed away at the end of that year which led to the whole family taking a step back to re-evaluate things.

With great expectations on his shoulders, the 18-year-old Adrian put on a show at ONE 167, putting the pressure on Australian upstart Antonio Mammarella through two rounds before taking a submission victory. He will look to follow up that performance with another brilliant showing, this time, in front of the American crowd in Denver.

‘The Phenom’ to face undefeated Cornejo in September

Standing in his way will be Cornejo, who is undefeated in two fights in his professional career – both coming by way of knockout. The 34-year-old is known as a talented wrestler and grappler, so considering he won his fights using his striking, he could be a threat from everywhere when he competes.

After enjoying an undefeated amateur and professional run in the local circuit, ‘The Steel City Kid’ has the chance of a lifetime when he competes on the global stage for the first time. Taking the spotlight from Lee with an impressive win could put him on the radar as one of the fighters to watch in the stacked division and could open more opportunities for him in the future.

On the flip side, the Prodigy Training Center athlete is looking for his second straight win in ONE and will stop at nothing to prove that he can surpass the expectations that he has been forced to carry.