Christian Lee believes Hawaii has no shortage of fighters. What it lacks is opportunity, and the two-division ONE World Champion is now trying to supply it from his own gym.
Lee co-owns Prodigy Training Center in Waipahu with his wife, Katie. The 28-year-old says the gym's progress is already visible across both the amateur and professional ranks.
"We had a few amateur fighters. One of my guys just fought in the California amateur show. He won. Another one of my guys just fought; he had a pro match in the States, and he won his third MMA match. So we have a few rising pros, and a few amateurs that are getting ready to turn pro as well," Lee said.
Those fighters face a geographic disadvantage that mainland athletes rarely encounter. Oahu sits roughly 2,400 miles from San Francisco, and reaching any major hub requires close to six hours in the air.
Every fight opportunity therefore carries significant travel and expense. Many aspiring professionals relocate to places such as Las Vegas, and those who stay often meet more experienced opponents who have built records by driving between neighboring states.
The island also has no active amateur MMA promotions. Lee has responded by staging in-house events at Prodigy Training Center so that local fighters can accumulate experience before traveling.
"These guys train really hard, but there's no promotion. So we do these types of events so that they can get the fighting experience they need, and then travel overseas from Hawaii, and then they'll be ready. I'm happy that we're able to play a part in that," Lee said.
"It's some work, it definitely is, especially with this fight coming up. I definitely had a lot to think about, but it was a great event, the turnout was great, and I'm happy to do that because in Hawaii, there's no platform for all of the guys on the island to fight."
That fight is significant. Lee defends the 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, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Seven years after becoming ONE's youngest male MMA World Champion, he is now building that same foundation for others.
