Italian mixed martial artist Antonio Mammarella wanted to challenge the best in the world, and he had to move away from home to try and find them. The 24-year-old is set to debut in ONE Championship when he takes on Adrian Lee in a lightweight MMA bout at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Friday, June 7, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Mammarella grew up in a small town in Italy, where he surprisingly got elite MMA training from his first coach, Angelo Pompeo. Under Pompeo’s guidance, he amassed an impressive 15-bout run as an amateur in his country, which put him on the radar as one to watch.

Antonio Mammarella to join ONE Championship after moving to Australia

Now based in Australia, he discussed why he decided to leave home and explore opportunities elsewhere in an interview with ONE. “I moved because, in Italy, the MMA world is strongly growing. We have lots of great athletes, but it’s not easy to be a professional fighter because you need to work a lot to cover the expenses,” Mammarella said.

The burgeoning star moved halfway across the world in search of greater challenges, and he is now training at Sydney’s MMA Family Fight Team, where he is coached by Pompeo’s longtime friend, Renato Subotic.

The decision has paid off so far. Mammarella topped off his professional debut in December last year by scoring a fantastic TKO win in the second round that caught the eye of ONE, and he’s delighted with the opportunity to compete in the promotion. “I’m very happy to have signed the deal with ONE. I know it’s not that common to sign a deal like this while being 1-0, but the chance was there, and we took it. I will show everyone the hard work I put in every single day,” he said.

Mammarella sets sights on victory against Lee in high-profile debut

The Italian debutant is facing a high-profile match in his first test in the world’s largest martial arts organization, as his opponent, Lee, belongs to one of the most recognizable families in Asian martial arts.

His older siblings, Angela and Christian, have held ONE gold, while the late Victoria Lee was well on her way to greatness before her tragic passing in late 2022. Despite all the attention Lee is getting, Mammarella remains focused on his short-term goal, which he sees as the beginning of an important journey.

He further added, “My goal right now is to take this win on June 7. I like to see things step by step, but obviously, the goal is to reach the top of the mountain and become the ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion,”