Christian Lee Predicts A Second-Round Submission Of The Man Who Beat His Brother
Christian “The Warrior” Lee did not like how his younger brother’s first defeat ended. On Friday, he gets to do something about it.
The two-division MMA World Champion defends his ONE Lightweight MMA World Title against ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo in the main event of The Inner Circle 37 on Friday, November 6. The card streams exclusively for members at live.onefc.com from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
At ONE Fight Night 35 in September 2025, Ruotolo welcomed Adrian “The Phenom” Lee to MMA’s toughest test. The teenager escaped several dangerous positions, but Ruotolo took his back late in the second round and secured a rear-naked choke for the tap.
Slightly more than a year later, the older brother returns to the same stadium with unfinished business. He believes Adrian has since grown beyond that night.
“If things just went a little bit differently, Adrian could have won. With his skill set now, he would beat Tye. So, for me, I’m just happy that I get the opportunity to get in there and fight this guy because I didn’t like how that ended,” Lee said.
“I’m getting this one back for my brother. It’s going to be all business in there. He’s a very good grappler, but you can’t cheat the experience that he hasn’t faced yet.”
The 28-year-old Hawaiian is 18-4 with 17 finishes and holds ONE records for most wins and most finishes. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt himself, he rejects the idea that this is a simple striker-versus-grappler contest.
“Everyone thinks that it’s going to be a striker versus grappler matchup in the mindset, in terms of strategy. But I believe that I’m a better MMA fighter everywhere, even in the grappling area,” he said.
Eleven of his 17 finishes have come in the first round, so an early night would surprise nobody. Against a grappler of Ruotolo’s caliber, however, he is offering a more measured forecast.
“Let’s call it … a round two finish by submission. That’s my prediction on how this matchup ends,” Lee said.
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