MMA: Christian Lee eyes another finish in ONE Championship | ABS-CBN

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MMA: Christian Lee eyes another finish in ONE Championship

MMA: Christian Lee eyes another finish in ONE Championship

ABS-CBN News

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Updated Feb 27, 2018 12:37 PM PHT

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Christian Lee. Handout photo

MANILA, Philippines – Ever since making his professional debut in ONE Championship in December 2015, Christian "Warrior" Lee has been nothing short of spectacular.

Lee has showed off an impressive skillset that includes unorthodox and unpredictable striking techniques, as well as technical grappling and creative submission maneuvers. After nine matches inside the ONE Championship cage, Lee developed a reputation as a finisher, as he has five wins by knockout and three by submission.

In his most recent outing, Lee tied the record for most finishes in ONE Championship history after pulling off a highlight-reel knockout of former ONE lightweight champion Kotetsu Boku in December.

Lee will face off against another Japanese icon in his next assignment, as he takes on former DEEP champion Kazunori Yokota in the undercard of ONE: Visions of Victory on March 9 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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The 19-year-old Singaporean star is hoping to secure his fourth straight win and add another big name to his resume.

"I think Kazunori Yokota is a great match-up. He is a seasoned veteran, similar to Boku. I feel he is actually very similar to Boku," said Lee.

"He is not as threatening when you look at his record on paper, but he is fast, he is explosive, and I know when we get in there, he is going to be looking to take me out. I am not looking past him in any way, so I am going to go in there and take him out in the same fashion I did Boku," he added.

Lee knows that there is a risk in taking on Yokota, as he feels he is already close to a title shot at this point.

However, Lee also knows that with a great risk comes the possibility of an even greater reward.

"A lot of other athletes would not have even taken this bout. I could have sat and waited, and the title shot could have been mine," said Lee.

"But that is just not the type of person I am. I am not going to just sit and wait for something to come. When they offered me Kazunori Yokota, I took it in a heartbeat," he stressed.

According to Lee, each contest also allows him to gain even more experience inside the cage, which is something he values even more after suffering the first and only blemish of his career in a crushing defeat to current ONE featherweight and lightweight world champion Martin Nguyen in August 2016.

"I feel the biggest thing that I took away from that loss, it was a mental thing," said Lee. "It was my sixth bout in, and I just turned 18 years old. I am only 19 years old now, but I feel years and years ahead, experience-wise, just coming off that loss."

"Just being able to step back and look at things from a different perspective, I really see in that bout I let emotions come into play. There is really no room for emotions in a contest. It is strictly business. Since then, I have been able to implement that into all of my bouts," he added.

Although a decisive triumph could seal the deal for Lee as the next contender for the ONE featherweight world championship, he is keeping his eyes on getting his hand raised as maintaining his 100 percent finishing rate appears to be at the top of his list.

"You can show just how good you are when people know exactly what you are going to do, but they still cannot stop you from doing it," said Lee.

"My thinking is if you want to be the best in the world, you are going to have to take out everyone anyway. So whoever they throw at you, you have to be prepared to face them and beat them."

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