‘Grateful To Have Her By My Side’ – Adrian Lee Opens Up About High School Sweetheart
Adrian “The Phenom” Lee is one of the most promising young talents in MMA, so it’s no surprise that he’s surrounded by a strong support system – including his high school sweetheart.
The 18-year-old rising star is now preparing for his second appearance in ONE, as he’s set to collide with Colorado’s own Nico “The Steel City Kid” Cornejo in a much-anticipated lightweight MMA scrap on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver at Ball Arena.
As the younger brother to current two-division MMA kingpin Christian Lee and former ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Angela Lee, “The Phenom” arrived at ONE with loads of hype surrounding him.
He lived up to those expectations in his promotional debut at ONE 167 this past June when he scored a dominant stoppage victory over Italian standout Antonio Mammarella.
As Lee now looks to continue his meteoric rise through the world of elite mixed martial arts, he is doing it all with his high school girlfriend by his side.
The Singaporean-American recently spoke to onefc.com about their relationship:
“Me and my girlfriend, we met a few years ago in high school and we’d been friends, and we just started dating a year ago. It means a lot to me, and it gives me another reason why I want to get to the top, and I’m grateful to have her by my side.”
According to Lee, he initiated the couple’s first date, and they haven’t looked back since.
Given that she is a star student and valedictorian of their high school class, “The Phenom” jokes that she has the intelligence and book smarts he lacks.
But while he might not be as strong of a student, Lee does say that training and competing in MMA – including a decorated amateur career before turning pro – has helped him grow up quicker and become more open in the relationship:
“I think that the maturity that MMA brings me definitely has helped evolve and shape me as a person and definitely helps me have an open mind and understand things better.”
As a young MMA prodigy who is already competing on the global stage, Lee is thankful to have a partner who understands the unique position he’s in and the long hours of training expected of him.
He said:
“I’m very grateful to have her because she’s very supportive, and she understands the fight game and what it takes to get into it. She understands the balance and why sometimes I have to put more into MMA or the other way around.”
Adrian Lee Also Trains Alongside His Girlfriend
Adrian Lee’s girlfriend not only understands the sacrifices he must make to reach his World Title goals. She’s often by his side in the gym.
“The Phenom” says that even though his better half has no aspirations of fighting, she’s interested in learning and spending time on the mats:
“I introduced her to [MMA] because I think it’s just good for everyone to know some self-defense. But yeah, she’s just doing it for fun.”
Of course, when it’s time to train and prepare to fight the world’s best, Lee is all business.
But that doesn’t mean he won’t take himself less seriously at times, especially with his partner nearby. He added:
“We’re close. Yeah, I mean, we do occasionally joke around. And it’s fun that she’s also training at the gym. So you know, it’s just like friendly banter.”
