Adrian Lee’s excellent begin hit a wall in September. The Hawaiian phenom will get his likelihood to bounce again towards somebody who is aware of precisely how that feels.
Lee meets Shozo Isojima in a light-weight MMA conflict at ONE Struggle Evening 40 on Friday, February 13, 2026, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. Each fighters look to rebound from their first profession defeats, making a must-win ambiance for the U.S. primetime card.
The 19-year-old youngest member of the legendary Lee household had torn by means of his first three opponents, incomes $50,000 efficiency bonuses for every first-round submission victory.
His promotional debut towards Antonio Mammarella set the tone instantly. Lee dominated from the opening bell, ending by way of submission within the second spherical to announce his arrival.
The victories stored coming. He choked out Nico Cornejo in lower than a spherical at ONE 168: Denver, then wanted simply 63 seconds to submit Takeharu Ogawa with an anaconda choke at ONE 172.
That momentum crashed towards Tye Ruotolo this previous September. The grappling world champion caught Lee with a rear-naked choke within the second spherical at ONE Struggle Evening 35, handing him his first skilled defeat.
The setback stung for a fighter carrying the burden of his household’s legacy. His older brother Christian holds two world titles in ONE Championship, whereas his sister Angela retired as atomweight queen.
Shozo Isojima suffered comparable destiny towards Tye Ruotolo
Shozo Isojima walked the identical painful path simply weeks after Lee’s loss. The 28-year-old Japanese sensation fell to Ruotolo by way of rear-naked choke at ONE 173 in November, ending his personal undefeated begin.
That defeat got here on the heels of a powerful promotional debut. Isojima earned a $50,000 efficiency bonus for his decisive victory over Nicolas Vigna, asserting himself as a official light-weight menace.
The matchup was initially scheduled for ONE 172 in March earlier than Isojima’s damage pressured a postponement. The delay gave each fighters time to course of their defeats and put together for what’s now grow to be a redemption struggle.
For Lee, victory would show his three-fight successful streak wasn’t newbie’s luck however the basis of a championship trajectory. A win validates his place among the many division’s rising stars regardless of the household identify.
Isojima sees this otherwise. Defeating a member of the legendary Lee household would elevate his 6-1 file and set up him as a contender in one among MMA’s best divisions.
