Adrian Lee will face Shozo Isojima in a lightweight contest at ONE Fight Night 40 on February 13 from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The event broadcasts live in U.S. primetime on Amazon Prime Video.
The matchup presents an intriguing narrative as both fighters suffered their most recent losses to the same opponent. ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo transitioned to mixed martial arts in 2025 and defeated both Lee and Isojima via submission, creating a unique connection between the lightweight contenders.
Lee, 19, opened his ONE career with three consecutive first-round submissions across 2024, finishing Antonio Mammarella at ONE 167 in June before stopping Nico Cornejo at ONE 168 and Takeharu Ogawa at ONE 172. The Prodigy Training Center product's perfect start ended in September 2025 when Ruotolo submitted him via rear-naked choke in the second round. The youngest member of the famed Lee family has spent recent months analyzing that performance and addressing technical gaps revealed in the defeat.
"That fight with Tye, it was a rough one," Lee said. "When I was in that ring with Tye, it was kind of new. Tye was definitely the highest caliber opponent I've fought so far, and I think it was definitely a little bit of a shocker. I didn't think that he'd get under me so fast and that he'd get right into the takedown. I went right into his world. It kind of just started off on a bad foot and kept going his way throughout that fight. So, there was definitely a lot to learn."
The experience provided lessons beyond technique. Lee identified composure under adversity as the most valuable takeaway from his first professional loss.
"The biggest lesson I learned from that fight was my composure," Lee said. "It was the first time I've ever been put in a position like that in any of my fights. In my head, I had thought I was losing the fight a lot worse than I was just because I've never gotten taken down. I've never lost any positions in a fight before. So definitely, it added a lot to my experience. Now, I know how to stay more composed and more level-headed during a fight. I'm excited to show that in this next fight."
Isojima, 28, carries a 6-1 professional record into the contest. The Japanese fighter discovered similar difficulties against Ruotolo's grappling credentials when the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist submitted him in under three minutes. Lee has studied his opponent's tendencies and identified areas of opportunity.
"I think his biggest strengths are probably his resiliency and his ability to just grind [opponents down]," Lee said. "He's a grinder. He's able to strike, take you down, hold you down, and ground-and-pound. And then for weaknesses, I've seen him get touched up a lot in his fights. He has some accolades in his judo and his wrestling, but I believe that I'll beat him everywhere in this game."
The younger brother of reigning ONE lightweight and welterweight champion Christian Lee and retired atomweight champion Angela Lee brings a training background rooted in early martial arts immersion. That foundation has produced technical versatility across striking, wrestling and grappling disciplines.
"I feel like my biggest strength as an MMA fighter is the ability to mix it up," Lee said. "I feel like since I've been training MMA since I was a kid, I haven't really been a specialist. I've kind of been able to just flow between the striking, the wrestling, and the grappling. I really feel like that's a big part of the MMA game, being able to combine them all, and I feel like that's my biggest strength."
Lee has mapped out his approach for the February contest and expects an early conclusion.
"The way I see this fight playing out is that I get the finish in round one," Lee said. "That's always my plan, always my priority going into any of my fights, but I believe that I'm just going to take whatever comes first. I'm going to work my striking and take him to the ground. Probably a TKO finish."
