SINGAPORE - Fresh off his One Championship lightweight title win here in May, Christian Lee has stepped in as a late replacement for the injured Eddie Alvarez at the One: Century event taking place in Tokyo on October 13.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation One made the announcement in a media statement on Monday (Sept 30).

Lee, 21, will face Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev of Turkey in One's lightweight world grand prix final, taking over from former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Alvarez.

The younger brother of One women's atomweight champion Angela Lee, Lee is a Canadian citizen but fights under the Singapore flag. Their father, Ken Lee, is a Singaporean who has been based in Hawaii for over a decade.

While One's statement did not disclose American fighter Alvarez's injury, its chairman and chief executive officer Chatri Sityodtong said: "I know Eddie is a true warrior and would have loved to compete under any circumstance, but training injuries are part of the game.

"I wish Eddie a complete recovery, and I know he will be back better than ever."

Chatri also revealed that Filipino fighter Eduard Folayang had agreed to replace Alvarez on short notice, but "visa issues" were a stumbling block. So One turned to Lee instead.

Even though his title is not on the line, Lee said: "I believe a true champion should be ready to fight anyone at any time.

"I am more than happy to share this card alongside my sister, the champion. You do not want to miss this event."

Angela Lee will headline One: Century at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan in her bid to successfully defend her One atomweight title against China's Xiong Jingnan. She will be aiming to avenge the first loss of her professional career to Xiong, who beat her in a fifth round technical knockout in One's first-ever show in Tokyo on March 31 to retain her One strawweight title.