“He Gave Me the Green Light” – Chatri Sityodtong Confirms Christian Lee’s Return Fight in February 2024

Christian Lee is ready to defend his thrones, and ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has a date for his return. “The Warrior” last competed at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November 2022, where he won the ONE Welterweight MMA World Title by knocking out erstwhile titleholder Kiamrian Abbasov in the fourth round.

The win added another strap to his lightweight MMA World Title, putting him on top of the combat sports world. But everything came crashing down for him and his family when his sister, Victoria Lee, tragically took her own life at the end of the year.

Christian Lee might be stronger than ever

Since then, the Lee family has been in mourning, with former atomweight MMA queen Angela Lee deciding to relinquish her throne and step away from the sport entirely to focus on Fightstory – a non-profit charity she started to help fighters deal with mental health issues. 

Meanwhile, Christian has chosen to honor their sister by continuing to fight in the world’s largest martial arts organization. In an interview with The South China Morning Post, Sityodtong revealed that the 25-year-old superstar has made it known that he is ready to return, and they have agreed on a date. 

“I spoke to Christian a couple of weeks ago to see how he’s doing, and he gave me the green light,” Chatri said. “He said, ‘I’m ready to go, Chatri, tell me when.’ The team and I talked about it, so February is when Christian will come back.”

“It will be a title defense. It’s going to be a nice card, so we’re trying to figure it out. It’s been narrowed down to three opponents, who are all worthy of a title shot. It’s just going to come down to which athlete we think is right to go for gold.”

What has Lee been upto?

During his time away, the reigning two-division World Champion welcomed a son, Tommy, his second child. As such, he’ll have added motivation to come back even stronger than before. The announcement of his return comes just days after ONE removed its lightweight rankings from its official website, which Sityodtong said should return in the next couple of weeks following a shuffle.

Also Read: “I See That As the Next Fight” – Christian Lee Names Opponent To Defend Lightweight Crown at Debut U.S. Event

It won’t be surprising to see Lee defend his throne in the stacked division in his comeback fight, as fresh contenders like Saygid Izagakhmaev and Halil Amir have risen through the rankings in spectacular fashion. Watch out for an imminent announcement on the details of Christian Lee’s return bout in February. 

Also Read: “I Plan on Defending Both Divisions” – Christian Lee Fired Up to Defend Status as Two-Division World Champion