“I'm excited for him” - Aung La N Sang says Christian Lee will reach unprecedented heights in his career

Time flies when you're watching boys become men and world champions become fathers, and that was what Myanmar legend Aung La N Sang felt when he saw Christian Lee defend his ONE lightweight MMA world championship with a second-round TKO of Alibeg Rasulov in Tokyo, Japan.

But the former two-division champion's post-fight reflections with Nick Atkin revealed how the passage of time and Lee's growing family have shaped his perspective on the Singaporean-American star's journey.

"I believe it, you know. I believe it. He's got three kids. Fourth on the way. So he's got to work. Yeah. Yeah. He's got to work. So I'm excited for him. It's so crazy, right?" Aung La N Sang shared shortly after Lee claimed another highlight-reel win at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri.

"The first time I met him, he was 17. Yeah. Making his debut in ONE Championship. And I was like, man, they shouldn't be letting kids fight. And now he's a grown man with four kids. Going to have four kids. So it's just kind of cool to see, you know, how life is. Yeah. And it goes by fast, bro."

When Lee made his promotional debut in 2015 at just 17 years old, 'The Burmese Python' was already an established middleweight contender, witnessing the arrival of what would become one of ONE Championship's most accomplished athletes.

Lee went on to become the youngest male ONE world champion in history when he defeated Japanese legend Shinya Aoki for the lightweight title in 2019 at age 21.

He later captured welterweight gold and now holds both championships simultaneously, establishing himself as one of the few athletes who have reigned as a two-division MMA world champion in ONE.

Lee and his wife, high school sweetheart Katie Allison, now have three children with their fourth arriving soon, a reality that resonated deeply with the newly inducted Hall of Famer, who called the action from the commentary booth at ONE 173 inside the Ariake Arena.

Watch Aung La N Sang's full interview with Nick Atkin below:

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Aung La N Sang says he had fun commentating at ONE 173

Besides being at ONE 173 on November 16 to accept his Hall of Fame recognition, making him only the third fighter after Bibiano Fernandes and Demetrious Johnson to receive the award, Aung La N Sang sat down for a short spell at Circle-side to make his commentary debut.

Joined by longtime color commentator Mitch Chilson and Ray Flores, 'The Burmese Python' revealed that he had proper fun dissecting fights from an analysis perspective.

"It was fun, you know, enjoyable doing what Mitch, you know, does, and got to hang out with him and talk with him and commentate with him. So, it was really cool," Aung La N Sang continued in the same interview.

For fans who purchased the global PPV passes, the full event replay of ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri is available at live.onefc.com.