‘I Plan On Finishing It First Round’ – Adrian Lee Predicts Second Straight Dominant Win At ONE 168: Denver
Adrian “The Phenom” Lee is fired up to make a statement in his second professional MMA fight on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver.
That night, the highly touted 18-year-old will square off with Colorado’s own Nico “The Steel City Kid” Cornejo in an explosive lightweight MMA contest at Ball Arena.
Lee is the younger brother to reigning two-division ONE MMA World Champion Christian Lee and former atomweight MMA queen Angela Lee, so when he made his professional MMA debut in June at ONE 167, there were plenty of lofty expectations.
The teenager quickly lived up to the hype, scoring an impressive second-round submission victory over Italy’s Antonio Mammarella to announce his presence on the global stage.
“The Phenom” hopes to keep the ball rolling in Denver, but his opponent is certainly no pushover. Cornejo is a skilled takedown artist with big power in his hands and will be fighting in front of a raucous hometown crowd.
With that in mind, Lee told told onefc.com that his team at Prodigy Training Center is leaving no stone unturned:
“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.”
In his promotional debut, Lee largely dominated every aspect of the bout before sinking in the fight-ending rear-naked choke.
Naturally, he was happy to walk away with the victory, but he also wanted to showcase even more of his all-around skill set.
Against Cornejo, the Hawaiian aims to do just that:
“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.”
Of course, “The Phenom” is interested in much more than just displaying his skills – he wants to pick up another victory in spectacular fashion.
His prediction for how things will play out on September 6 is short and to the point:
“I plan on finishing it first round, either TKO, KO, or submission, whatever comes first.”
Lee Aims For Memorable Win In United States Debut
When Adrian Lee steps into the Circle at ONE 168: Denver, he’ll not only be competing on U.S. soil for the first time but will also become the first member of the famous Lee family to fight at the pro level in the country.
Well aware that his battle with Nico Cornejo is part of a massive event, “The Phenom” is proud to be carrying the torch:
“It means a lot to me. I’m extremely excited to have my second fight on U.S. soil because me and my family, we’ve never competed on this level stage in the U.S. before. I’m excited to show the American fans what ONE fighters can do.
“I can’t wait to show all the American fans how truly ahead of the game we are.”
As the next in line in his family of MMA royalty, Lee is eager to make waves in this high-profile opportunity.
And come September 6, he’s aiming to put on a memorable show that leaves a lasting impression:
“The biggest thing I want out of this fight is just to get in there and really make a statement and to show, especially the American fans, how exciting ONE Championship really is.”
