Highly touted teen standout “The Phenom” Adrian Lee plans to keep the winning momentum going in his second fight in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
This Friday, September 6 in U.S. primetime, he will take on Nico “The Steel City Kid” Cornejo in an explosive lightweight MMA tilt at ONE 168: Denver, live from Ball Arena.
Adrian Lee gears up for Stiff test against unbeaten prospect Cornejo
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The younger brother to reigning two-division ONE MMA World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee and former atomweight MMA queen Angela Lee, “The Phenom” arrived at ONE with lofty expectations surrounding him.
Polls of the day
Poll 1 of 2
Do you think Adrian Lee will finish Nico Cornejo in the first round?
Absolutely
No way
Maybe, if he's lucky
It's going to be a tough fight
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He quickly lived up to the hype, scoring a sensational second-round submission victory over Italian star Antonio Mammarella in June at ONE 167. That victory marked Lee’s much-anticipated professional debut, and he’s preparing for a stiff test in his sophomore appearance. Colorado native Cornejo boasts an unbeaten amateur and professional record, as well as solid punching power and a dynamic takedown game.
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Adrian Lee says that he and his team have done their homework on “The Steel City Kid”: “I saw that [Cornejo] is a hard hitter and that he has a pretty good wrestling game, even though he doesn’t have any specific wrestling accolades. Our camp will definitely be centered around countering that.”
What’s your perspective on:
Adrian Lee's first-round finish prediction—confidence or overconfidence? What do you think?
Have an interesting take?
Lee aims for a first-round finish at ONE 168
For his part, Adrian Lee is excited to showcase the full breadth of his all-around MMA game. After a lifetime of training at an elite level alongside his family, the 18-year-old says he has much more to offer than what fans saw in his professional debut.
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Wherever the fight goes, he plans to be better than Cornejo. With that in mind, Lee says a finish – however that comes – is to be expected at ONE 168: “I plan to bring into this fight how well-rounded I really am. I plan to show more of my striking, more of my grappling, and more of my wrestling in this fight compared to my last.
He further added, “I plan on finishing it first round, either TKO, KO, or submission, whatever comes first.”
Debate
Adrian Lee's first-round finish prediction—confidence or overconfidence? What do you think?