Christian Lee is aiming to return to the ONE Championship circuit before the end of the year and defend his lightweight title belt, but believes there are no contenders to challenge him for his throne during his absence.
The 25-year-old, who is also the welterweight champion, has not fought since 2022, with one of the main reasons for his hiatus being the death of his sister, Victoria, who committed suicide in December of that year.
Lee thanked ONE Championship for allowing him to retain both belts despite a nearly two-year hiatus, but said he doesn't believe his hiatus has cost anyone a chance to win a title.
“It was nice to have some time off,” he said, “but there was no clear competition at lightweight or welterweight.
“I've been away from the game and I don't feel like there's anyone knocking on the door. I'm excited to see who shows up.”
ONE 168 in Denver on September 6 could be a realistic target for Lee's return.
With only four bouts confirmed for the card, there are still openings for fighters wanting to showcase their talents to an American audience – something Hawaii-based Lee has never done before.
“It's important for me to take some time off, refresh and start afresh, go out and focus on my goal,” he said. “I'll definitely be training for the match in September, and Denver would be great.”
During his time away from the ring, Lee is closely following the action there, searching for his next potential opponent.
“I've been watching the lightweight and welterweight divisions and so far I think the fight between Ok Leyyun and Ali Beg is the clear contender,” he said. “I think the winner will be the number one contender in the division. I'll be watching that fight closely and seeing if I can defend my belt before the end of the year.”
When asked about contenders for the welterweight title, Lee added: “Sebastian Kadestam is one of the big contenders for the title fight. He's a former champion and just beat Roberto Soldic by knockout.”
Lee has been focusing on coaching during his time off, and last weekend he was in the corner of his younger brother Adrian when he made his ONE Championship debut in Bangkok, and he said the time off has had a positive impact on him.
“I'm excited to get back in the ONE circle myself, but now I'm excited to be coaching him and being on the other side,” Lee said after training in his brother's corner. “I'm happy to just sit back and watch him train instead of doing all the training.”
