Heartbreaking news has emerged regarding ONE Championship athlete Victoria Lee, who has passed away at age 18.
Lee, the younger sister of ONE champions Angela and Christian Lee, died on December 26, with Angela Lee revealing the tragic news on Saturday.
No cause of death has been disclosed.
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Angela Lee called her sister “the most beautiful soul who ever lived,” adding that the Lee family would never be the same, and were devastated by the loss.
You can read her statement in its entirety below.
On December 26, 2022 our family experienced something no family should ever have to go through…
It is incredibly difficult to say this…
Our Victoria passed away.
She has gone too soon and our family has been completely devastated since then.
We miss her. More than anything in this world. Our family will never be the same. Life will never be the same.Victoria was the most beautiful soul who ever lived. She was the best little sister in the world. The best daughter, the best granddaughter and the best godma / aunty to Ava and Alia.
We miss you so much sis. More than you could ever realize. We’re all broken. Because a piece of you was in each of us and when you left, those pieces were ripped out of us.
We will never be the same.Each and every little thing makes me think of you. From the sun rays, to the sunset. You taught us to see the beauty in the simple things. You were our bright light. Our sunshine. And that will never change. You were perfect in every way. The best person I knew. The most beautiful girl, inside and out.
We love you Victoria. I love you Sprout. Until the end of time.
Please give our family grace and respect during this most difficult time. And please, check on your loved ones. Keep checking on them. Give them hugs and tell them how much they mean to you. You just never know.
Victoria Lee made a huge splash in her short time with ONE Championship, compiling a 3-0 record in the promotion’s atomweight division, where sister Angela reigns as champion. All three of her wins came inside the distance, with her most recent action taking place in September of 2021.
Following that fight, she told Cageside Press that it was a blessing to have her siblings supporting her as she embarked on a career in MMA.
“It’s definitely such a blessing for me to have my brother and sister there in my corner all the time,” she stated. “They’ve gone on almost the exact same journey as me, so whenever I have questions, they’ve already been through it, and they’re able to give me insights that no one else would really know. It’s awesome.”
Lee turned heads by making her debut for ONE Championship at just 16, but appeared to take the attention, and fighting against older, more experienced opponents, in stride. In just a few short years, she made her mark on the sport, in a career and life that has tragically ended too soon.
