At age 19 and turning 20 in March, Adrian Lee is the future of his family’s storied MMA legacy. But despite state wrestling championships and a scintillating three-fight winning streak with ONE Championship, “The Phenom” is looking to get back to his winning ways following a disappointing, but perhaps crucially valuable defeat against Tye Ruotolo this past September. M&F sat down with the young lion to find out how he’s training for his return clash against Shozo Isojima, days out from their highly anticipated lightweight bout at ONE Fight Night 40.
Who Is Adrian Lee?
As the youngest of the Lee siblings, Adrian has a huge legacy on his shoulders, but aside from joking that he had wanted to be a pro gamer, the student was so in awe of his family’s achievements that he knew he had to follow their path. Of course, Adrian’s sister is Angela Lee, who became the youngest MMA world champion of all time at just 19 herself, and then there’s his brother Christian Lee, a confidant, coach, and the current ONE champion across two weight divisions. Angela and his late sister, Victoria, were also Hawaii State Wrestling champions—a rite of passage that Adrian Lee replicated in 2023. “Honestly, wrestling and winning that state title was just another way to just get some more experience,” he tells M&F. “Because, ever since I was a kid, I’ve really trained all of the martial arts. I grew up training in MMA, kickboxing, boxing, jiu-jitsu, and then when I got into high school, that was another way to get experience,”
What Adrian Lee Learned From His First Professional Loss
By the time Adrian made his debut with ONE Championship on June 7, 2024, he’d already amassed an enviable resume, adding a national youth MMA title to his list of accomplishments. The Phenom won his debut ONE outing and racked up a 3-0 winning streak before a rear naked choke hold from Tye Ruotolo handed him his first professional loss, but plenty of lessons to learn. “Honestly, after that fight, I took it real hard,” shares Adrian. “Having my first loss, it was… it was really big to me, because I hate losing, and I wanted to win, over anything, but I think that, honestly, I just decided to move forward with it, and take as much benefit out of it as I possibly could. I feel like my last fight was a humongous learning experience.”
During that ill-fated fight, Lee showed a ton of heart, proving that he can take a pounding and still get to his feet. The young fighter is hoping to bounce back stronger when he faces Shozo Isojima (6-1-0) at ONE Fight Night 40, on Feb. 13 (Feb. 14 in some time zones) “I think he’s a well-rounded fighter,” Adrian says of Isojima. “He’s also coming off that loss with Tye, and I think he’s a grinder, that’s what I would call his style. He’s able to kind of just take guys down, hold them down, ground and pound. You can’t underestimate those kinds of guys.”
Adrian Lee’s Mindset Shift: Staying Calm Under Pressure
“I think one thing that has definitely changed a lot is my experience and my ability to kind of stay calm,” shares Adrian. “Because my very first fight with ONE Championship was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. There was so much pressure. I was like, ‘I gotta finish them in the first round, and, all my siblings finished their opponents in their first round, their first fights, but I mean, now I can really just take a step back. I know what to expect, I know how fight week’s going, and so I just need to stay calm and enjoy the process.”
Adrian was his own harshest critic after that first pro defeat, but it’s stoked a huge fire inside of him. “I’ve basically been in camp since my last fight with Tye, and I’ve been just closing off any holes, any errors in my game, and really just trying to perfect myself as an MMA fighter,” he tells M&F. “Addressing a few gameplan things to do specifically for Shozo, but essentially being more complete.”
Why 2026 Could Be Adrian Lee’s Breakout Year
“Honestly, I love sparring. I love competition,” shares Adrian, explaining that the bond he has with brother Christian through training is something that he relishes. “There’s really nothing that will ever compare to the adrenaline I get, or the kind of excitement it brings me, where me and my brother get rounds. Those are, the most fun rounds ever, because, you know, they’re just so hard, I really like that competitive aspect.”
While Adrian is acutely focused on his all-important next fight, the young upstart is also looking to make a big impact in 2026. “Going forward, I really want to stay active this year. So, the past two years, I’ve only had 2 fights per year, but this year, I want to get 4 fights, 5 fights maybe. Because, you know, I’m still young, but I really want to accomplish so much in this sport, and my body is healthy, and I want to just get more and more fights, more experience. I’m so lucky you know, to have a double champ brother, champ sister… they’ve created a formula that I can follow, and I can trust that it’ll take me to the top as well.”
Adrian “The Phenom” Lee will face Shozo “The Great Teacher” Isojima in a lightweight MMA contest at ONE Fight Night 40: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger II, which broadcasts live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, February 13.
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