Christian Lee had a spectacular 2022. The talented 24-year-old took back the ONE lightweight championship and then moved up in weight to claim the ONE welterweight title – all in one year.
With 2023 rolling in quickly, Lee is excited that ONE Championship will be coming to the U.S. for its first on-ground event in the next 12 months.
ONE on Prime Video 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III will be the first ONE event on U.S. soil. The event takes place on Friday, May 5, in Colorado, and Lee wants to see the lineup filled with America’s top stars.
“It’s exciting. I’m so glad that ONE Championship is finally coming to the U.S. They’ve been doing so great, completely dominating in Asia. And now, with the Amazon Prime deal touching down in the U.S., I think that it’s a big time for ONE Championship,” Lee told ONE.
“It could only make sense to put the U.S. fighters on that card – the first time they’re touching ground in the U.S. They have a lot of guys on the roster, so of course DJ’s a big one. He’s going to be headlining the event.
“The Warrior” isn’t closing the door on defending his gold at the event, either. With the event still months away, he is looking at the possible contenders that could challenge for either of his two world titles.
As the highly anticipated welterweight showdown between Roberto Soldic and Murad Ramazanov ended with an inconclusive result, Lee thinks lightweight may be first on the docket.
Two exceptional athletes have risen to the top while Lee was busy chasing history. Halil Amir and Saygid Izagakhmaev both had incredible years to state their case for a shot at the ONE lightweight championship.
After surveilling their bids, Lee thinks the Russian has done enough following his first-round destruction of Shinya Aoki.
“Man, if I’m on that card, my plan was to defend my lightweight belt, so I’ll do it against Saygid. I’m sure that I’ve heard he wants the title shot. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to take that fight. Doesn’t matter who they throw at me, but in my mind I see that as the next fight,” Lee said.
“[Saygid’s] definitely a clear contender in the lightweight division right now. I don’t see anyone else with the kind of momentum that he has.”
ONE on Prime Video 10’s card is still not set, and Lee would be a monster addition to the historic event. Regardless of when it may be, however, it appears that the stars are aligning for a heavy-duty meeting between Lee and Izagakhmaev in 2023.
Fans interested in attending ONE on Prime Video 10 live can sign-up for priority access to tickets here.