The Lee name became synonymous with ONE Championship in the late 2010s/early 2020s, with Angela Lee claiming atomweight gold, and Christian Lee becoming a double champ at lightweight and welterweight.

Victoria Lee, the third of the Hawaiian-Canadian siblings to compete for ONE Championship, made her debut with the company at the tender age of 16, quickly building up a 3-0 record through three fights in 2021. In December of 2022, Lee tragically took her own life, leading sister Angela to later vacate her atomweight title, focusing instead on charitable efforts and family.

With Christian Lee on hiatus but in his brother’s camp, Adrian Lee was the first sibling to return to action following the loss of Victoria, taking on Antonio Mammarella. And things started off well for the debuting fighter, landing a takedown in all of 30 seconds, allowing him to work from half-guard, drop elbows, then posture up and fire lefts, rights, and knee strikes.

When Mammarella posted up, Lee briefly wrapped up a choke, but they would move back to center, trading. Lee landed his jab, Antonio Mammarella landed some low kicks, but ref Herb Dean briefly halted the action when Mammarella lost his mouth piece. With action back underway, it wasn’t long before Lee had his opponent back down, unleashing left hands along the fence. Mammarella, to his credit, powered up, but ate a knee to the head then found himself dragged back down.

Late in the round, Lee locked up a slick inverted triangle and then transitioned to a kimura, only for Mammarella to be saved by the horn.

Another early takedown arrived for Adrian Lee in the second, but the fight didn’t stay down, and Mammarella later found some success on the feet, putting Lee on his heels. The teenager found grace under fire, however, and managed to convert another takedown, moving to half-guard and looking to pass to mount. Lee wound up taking the back, then wrapped up a rear-naked choke, forcing Mammarella to tap just seconds later and winning his professional and promotional debut!

Showing a smart game plan and fight IQ beyond his years looked strong for an 0-0 fighter; if nothing else Adrian Lee certainly did his family proud at ONE 167.

Official Result: Adrian Lee def. Antonio Mammarella by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:56

The post Adrian Lee Debuts at ONE 167, Looks Strong in Submission Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lee, 27, recently opened up about her 2017 car crash, widely publicized at the time, actually being the result of a suicide attempt. Additionally, she confirmed what was known to many close to the sport: that the tragic death of her sister, fellow ONE Championship fighter Victoria Lee, last December, was also the result of suicide.

Victoria Lee was just 18 years old.

In a video package played at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and live on Saturday’s Amazon Prime Video broadcast, Lee introduced Fight Story, a non-profit founded in Victoria’s honor, with a goal of assisting those with mental health struggles.

Calling the past year the hardest of her life, Lee told the crowd in Singapore that she was doing her best to “pick up the pieces and move forward, slowly.” Fight Story is no doubt part of that progress.

“Fight Story was created because of my sister Victoria. I’m choosing to honor her and her life by moving forward and helping others,” said Lee. “Our mission at Fight Story is to save lives.”

Lee, known in her fighting career by the nickname “Unstoppable,” then laid her belt down in the cage. “I’m here today to officially announce my retirement. It has been an incredible eight years, and I just want to say thank you to the fans, to ONE Championship, to Chatri, to my teams, to just everyone.”

Her final message may have been her most poignant. “The greatest battle we will ever face won’t be with an opponent standing in front of us. The greatest battle will be within ourselves. We all go through struggles, but we all fight. And each day, we are victorious when we choose to rise up in the face of adversity.”

Lee’s rise through ONE Championship began in 2015, when she made her pro debut with the company she would spend her entire career with. She would go on a stellar 9-0 run, hitting a Twister submission in just her third pro fight. Her first eight fights would end inside the distance; she won the ONE atomweight title in 2016, and immediately defended that belt three times.

In 2019, Lee would move to strawweight for a failed bid at a second title against Xiong Jing Nan, and stuck around the division only to incur another loss. Moving back to atomweight, she defeated China’s Xiong in the pair’s second meeting, for Lee’s own championship belt, then submitted Stamp Fairtex, winner of the ONE atomweight grand prix, last year.

Lee’s final fight came in October of 2022, when she lost a unanimous decision against Xiong in the pair’s rubber match, also at strawweight. As a result, Angela Lee finishes her MMA career as the reigning ONE Championship atomweight title holder, and undefeated in the atomweight division.

Outside of her own MMA career, Lee married fellow ONE fighter Bruno Pucci in 2018. The couple have a daughter born in 2021.

The winner of ONE Fight Night 14’s main event between Ham Seo Hee and Stamp Fairtex, meanwhile, would now become the undisputed ONE atomweight champion.

The post Angela Lee Announces Retirement from MMA, Gives Heartfelt Farewell Message appeared first on Cageside Press.

She also confirmed in that same story that sister Victoria Lee, also a professional mixed martial artist who was unbeaten under the ONE banner, took her own life in December 2022.

The death of 18-year old Victoria Lee sent shockwaves through the MMA community. Angela Lee’s revelation that she attempted to take her own life as the pressures of fighting mounted will no doubt do the same.

Lee became the face of ONE Championship when she captured the promotion’s atomweight title in 2016, part of a nine-fight win streak that saw her win her first five fights via submission, including a rarely-seen Twister.

But in 2017, as she prepared to defend her title, Lee began to feel the pressure, especially in regards to making weight. It led her to try to take her own life. ““My car crash in November 2017 was not an accident. It was a suicide attempt,” wrote Lee, getting into the pressures she felt despite everything in her life going so well.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about the shame that would result if I wasn’t able to make the fight. As someone who had never missed any competition in her entire life, that terrified me. It became all-encompassing,” Lee wrote about her feeling ahead of the fight, and ultimately, the car crash that could have claimed her life. “And, ultimately, I got to a point where I would rather take myself out of the equation than deal with what might come.”

Before going so far as deliberately crashing her own car, Lee revealed that she attempted to break her own arm and give herself a concussion to get out of the fight, a rematch with Mei Yamaguchi. She was 12 pounds overweight at the time. “When those things didn’t work, I decided to get in my car and leave it up to fate to see what happens next,” Lee wrote.

It took the atomweight champion, then just 22-years old and newly engaged, two tries to build up the courage to drive her car off the road.

“That second try, I built up more courage, or whatever you want to call it, and I just pressed my foot all the way down on the gas pedal. As far down as it would go. I don’t know how fast I was going. But it was as fast as my car could move. I wanted to hit the guardrail as hard as I could, and I just remember turning the steering wheel and swerving and then hitting something, and then it was just … rolling.”

Lee awoke upside down in her car. Bystanders eventually came to her aid. She would tell no one of the suicide attempt other than husband-to-be Bruno Pucci, a fellow fighter. She went so far as to attend the event she had been scheduled to face Yamaguchi at, greeting fans. Lee would win the rematch with Yamaguchi the following year, and has never lost the ONE atomweight championship, though she has not fought since October of last year.

Years later, the death of sister Victoria convinced Lee to create Fightstory, a non-profit organization, which appears to have helped inspire Angela to share her own story.

“Fightstory was inspired by Victoria and the remarkable life that she lived at just 18 years old. Fightstory is just as much hers as it is mine,” Lee noted. “It’s something we created together, to save lives and to try and make the world a better place. We want people to know that although you may feel lonely in your fight with mental health, you are not alone.”

Angela Lee’s full story, entitled Resilient, is well worth the read. Lee’s younger brother Christian is the current ONE lightweight and welterweight world champion.

The post Angela Lee Reveals 2017 Car Crash Was Attempt to Take Her Own Life appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lee, just 18, was an undefeated ONE Championship star and younger sister of ONE champs Angela (atomweight) and Christian (lightweight and welterweight) Lee.

Neither Lee sibling has competed since the death of Victoria late last year, for obvious reasons. Now, it appears Angela may not return to the cage at all.

In a recent Facebook Watch Q&A (via Beyond Fighting), ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong stated that while Christian Lee has indicated he will return, Angela is unlikely to fight again.

“Angela Lee is likely not coming back due to the loss of her sister. Christian Lee told me that he wants to come back.”

As a result, the atomweight title will be on the line when Stamp Fairtex faces Seo Hee Ham this August. “Stamp and Seo Hee Ham will fight in August for the ONE Atomweight Championship,” Sityodtong said in the same Facebook Watch session.

Stamp earned the fight with Seo Hee Ham at ONE Fight Night 10 in Colorado last month, defeating Alyse Anderson with a nasty body kick KO. A 2021 women’s atomweight grand prix champion, the Thai star, who has held ONE Championship gold in both Muay Thai and kickboxing, previously made an unsuccessful bid for ONE’s atomweight crown in MMA.

Originally, the fight with Ham was expected to be for an interim title. With the questions surrounding Angela Lee’s future, however, it appears the undisputed championship will be on the line.

ONE Championship has yet to officially announce the news.

Back in Colorado, Stamp told media outlets including Cageside Press that Seo Hee Ham was not her toughest foe to date. “Angela Lee is much tougher. The toughest opponent I’ve ever faced was Angela.”

Angela Lee, 26, last fought in October 2022, losing a shot at a second title when she dropped the third fight of her trilogy against Xiong Jing Nan. With a career record of 11-3, the Canadian-born Lee is undefeated as an atomweight.

The post Stamp Fairtex to Fight Seo Hee Ham for ONE Atomweight Title, Angela Lee “Likely Not Coming Back” to Fighting appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I am heartbroken by Victoria Lee’s passing. I first met Victoria when she was 11 years old. I watched her blossom over the years as a martial artist and a human being. I always remember thinking how wise, thoughtful, and selfless she was beyond her years. Of course, she was an extraordinary martial arts prodigy even back then, but I could see that she was so much more than that. Victoria had the purest heart of gold and a brilliant mind. She looked after others before herself. She wanted to use her life to help the world. I will always remember Victoria for the beautiful and precious soul that she was.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Angela Lee Pucci (@angelaleemma)

No cause of death has been released by the Lee family or ONE Championship.

The post ONE President Chatri Sityodtong Releases Statement On Victoria Lee’s Passing appeared first on Cageside Press.

With the card airing in U.S. prime time, it was another excuse to bring out the big guns, which ONE did in the main event, featuring atomweight champion and promotional darling Angela Lee again making the move to strawweight to challenge for Xiong Jing Nan’s title there.

Lee had come up short in an earlier attempt to win strawweight gold from Xiong in 2019, then defended her own atomweight belt against the Chinese fighter in a rematch later that same year.

Also on Friday’s card, Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex, who had won the promotion’s women’s atomweight grand prix, only to come up short against Lee in a title bid earlier this year. Fairtex was paired up with Jihin Radzuan, and fans could no doubt expect to see a bit of the Stamp dance at some point.

Former featherweight champ Martin Nguyen was also in action Friday, taking on Russia’s Ilya Freymanov.

ONE on Prime Video 2 gets underway at 8PM ET on Friday, September 30, 2022, with the main card commencing at 10PM. Full results can be found below.

ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III Results

Main Card

Xiong Jing Nan (c) def. Angela Lee by unanimous decision – for the ONE women’s strawweight world championship
Mikey Musumeci def. Cleber Sousa by unanimous decision – for the ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship
Stamp Fairtex def. Jihin Radzuan by unanimous decision
Ilya Freymanov def. Martin Nguyen by TKO (knees), Round 1, 3:33
Halil Amir def. Timofey Nastyukhin by KO, Round 2, 0:58

Lead Card

Marat Grigorian def. Tayfun Ozcan by unanimous decision – kickboxing
Oh Ho Taek def. Ryogo Takahashi by split decision
Anissa Meksen def. Dangkongfah Banchamek by unanimous decision – Muay Thai
Rade Opacic def. Giannis Stoforidis by KO, Round 2, 1:52 – ONE heavyweight kickboxing grand prix alternate bout

The post ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lee (11-2) will face Nan (17-2) in a strawweight title fight at ONE on Prime Video 2 on September 30, 2022. MMA Fighting was first to report news of the booking, with promotion officials and Lee herself subsequently confirming the match-up.

The pair have met twice before. In March of 2019, atomweight champ Lee moved up a weight class to challenge for Nan’s strawwweight title. The bid to become a double-champ failed, as Xiong Jing Nan became the first fighter to defeat Angela Lee.

That October, China’s Nan would herself attempt to claim a second belt, dropping to atomweight to challenge Lee. This time, the Canadian born Lee came out on top, defending her title by submitting Nan in the fifth round.

Lee then took a hiatus from fighting to give birth to her daughter, Ava Marie. She returned to action this past March, defeating ONE atomweight grand prix winner Stamp Fairtex at ONE X.

Both of Lee’s losses as a professional have come in ONE’s strawweight division. She has never lost as an atomweight.

Xiong Jing Nan has won three straight fights, against Tiffany Teo, Michelle Nicolini, and Ayaka Miura. She has successfully defended her strawweight title six times.

ONE on Prime Video 2 will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on September 30, but will air during U.S. Prime Time.

The post Angela Lee vs. Xiong Jing Nan 3 Strawweight Title Fight Booked for ONE on Prime Video 2 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In her absence, Stamp had rose to the top of the division, winning the promotion’s atomweight grand prix last year.

Lee closed the distance almost instantly to kick off the ONE X main event in Singapore on Saturday, looking to get Stamp Fairtex to the ground. Instead, Stamp reversed, put Lee against the fence, and fired an elbow off the break. At distance, Lee used her jab, then bullied her way inside once more, again looking for a takedown.

When Lee couldn’t get the fight down, she found herself in dire straits. Stamp let loose, lighting up the body and hurting Lee. The champ backpedaled, and Stamp pressed forward, battering her with punches. Somehow, Lee survived and pushed back, eventually slowing the pace down and putting Stamp against the fence. That bought her precious moments to recover, and she also dragged Stamp to her knees, taking the back, albeit high, and flattening the challenger out. Stamp fought the hands, while Lee showed superb flexibility, floating around on the back hunting chokes.

Round two saw Lee get the fight into her wheelhouse early. She would trap an arm with her legs, but ended up going to her back. Still, Lee hunted an arm, then locked up a triangle. That allowed her to go after the arm again, while putting considerable pressure on Stamp’s neck. The challenger at times seemed seconds away from both going out, and escaping; she would survive, but still had Lee controlling her on the ground. The champ added some knees to the body, then set Stamp up for a twister attempt. Stamp Fairtex practically gutted her way through some of those submission attempts, but just before the end of the round, Angela Lee flattened the challenger out, got the rear-naked choke in place, and forced the tap!

A victorious homecoming for atomweight champion Angela Lee, who picks up her second straight win, years apart, and moves to 11-2 as a pro.

Official Result: Angela Lee def. Stamp Fairtex by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:50

The post Angela Lee Victorious in Return, Submits Stamp Fairtex in ONE X Main Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

The event was scheduled to take place Saturday, March 26 (technically kicking off late Friday in the west), with three distinct parts — the third and final of which would air exclusively on PPV.

Atop the mammoth event, women’s atomweight champion Angela Lee returned, looking to defend her title against grand prix champ Stamp Fairtex. After taking time away from the sport to start a family, Lee was looking at a Fairtex who had upset decorated Indian wrestler Ritu Phogat to capture the atomweight grand prix title — earning her shot at the belt in the process.

Also on the ONE X card, Muay Thai star Rodtang was booked into a special rules bout with Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, with four three minute rounds alternating between Muay Thai, MMA, Muay Thai, and finally MMA again.

The full bout would utilize four ounce MMA gloves.

Part I and Part II of ONE X can be viewed live below, while the third and final segment, the ONE X “Grand Finale,” is available via watch.onefc.com. The action kicks off at 10PM PT/1AM ET on Friday/Saturday, depending on your location. Full results are available below.

ONE X: Lee vs. Stamp Results

Grand Finale

Angela Lee (c) def. Stamp Fairtex by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:50 – ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship
Demetrious Johnson def. Rodtang by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:13 – Special Rules Super-Fight
Adriano Moraes (c) def. Yuya Wakamatsu by submission (guillotine choke), Round 3, 3:58 – ONE Flyweight World Championship
Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Shinya Aoki by TKO, Round 2, 1:50
Eduard Folayang def. John Wayne Parr by unanimous decision – Muay Thai
Superbon Singha Mawynn (c) def. Marat Grigorian by unanimous decision – ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship

Part II

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao def. Felipe Lobo by knockout, Round 3, 2:15 – ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship
Hiroki Akimoto def. Capitan Petchyindee (c) by unanimous decision – ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship
Ham Seo Hee def. Denice Zamboanga by unanimous decision
Jihin Radzuan def. Itsuki Hirata by split decision
Tang Kai def. Kim Jae Woong by knockout, Round 1, 2:07

Part I

Chingiz Allazov def. Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong by unanimous decision – ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Championship Final
Reinier de Ridder vs. Andre Galvao- ends in a unanimous draw – submission grappling
Sinsamut Klinmee def. Nieky Holzken by knockout, Round 2, 1:39 – Muay Thai
Jeremy Miado def. Lito Adiwang by TKO, Round 2, 2:56
Stephen Loman def. Shoko Sato by unanimous decision
Amir Khan def. Ryogo Takahashi by split decision
Kang Ji Won def. Paul Elliott by knockout, Round 1, 0:58
Mei Yamaguchi vs. Danielle Kelly ends in  unanimous draw – submission grappling
Senzo Ikeda def. Ryuto Sawada by TKO, Round 2, 3:09

The post ONE X: Lee vs. Stamp Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

🤯 @angelaleemma pulled off the TWISTER 🌪#ONEX | 26 March | PPV: 8PM SGT/8AM ET | Order PPV: https://t.co/eBUfsOlZOd | Get Tickets: https://t.co/4ieR6zPLNe pic.twitter.com/Za1WmnyPl3

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 18, 2022

Short of claiming a title in a second weight class, ONE Championship’s home grown star Angela Lee has made the most out of twelve appearances inside the cage.  At just 25 years old, “Unstoppable” has become the face of the promotion and is synonymous with a brand that continues to grow its reach in Asia and dabbled in becoming a part of the US market.  With respect to the other stars of ONE, she is the only one for whom fighting for the promotion is the family business as both her brother Christian (a former lightweight champion) and younger sister Victoria also compete under the organization’s banner.

When last we saw Lee, she had triumphed over rival Xiong Jingnan who was attempting to wrest the atomweight title after Lee had failed to claim Xiong’s strawweight belt earlier in the year.  After taking time off to start her family and properly return to form in training, Lee will face one of the sternest tests of her career as she looks to pick up where she left off in taking on one of ONE’s latest upstarts who has waited a long time for her return.

Nobody saw THAT coming! Stamp Fairtex 🇹🇭 finishes Ritu Phogat via ARMBAR to win the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix! 💪 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship#ONEWinterWarriors | How To Watch: https://t.co/YlCCWjOPa1 pic.twitter.com/ODNjJ474Ks

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 3, 2021

Much like Lee, Stamp Fairtex has taken a homegrown approach to entering the MMA consciousness.  With all but one of her professional bouts in both MMA and kickboxing taking place in ONE Championship, Fairtex was one of the top prospects to enter the atomweight Grand Prix.  It was not without challenges as Fairtex’s first bout was an immediate rematch with the woman who handed her her first loss: Alyona Rassohyna.  After having victory snatched away from her grasp in the form of a late guillotine submission from Rassohyna, Fairtex was given the nod with a split-decision victory in the quarterfinals.

After besting Julie Mezabarba, Fairtex faced her toughest test in the form of early favorite Ritu Phogat.  Coming from a family of wrestlers and built up through ONE’s ranks, Phogat was shocked by a second round submission by the seasoned striker.  Now with a Grand Prix title under her belt, Fairtex has a chance to wrest the throne from ONE Championship’s most beloved star and boost her own profile immensely in the process.

While Fairtex rose to prominence by winning titles in both kickboxing and muay thai in ONE, she has proven herself to be a proficient grappler.  A well-rounded threat who is a technician on the feet and on the mat, Fairtex will look to use her counter-striking to keep the champion on the outside where she can utilize her full arsenal.  Lee will look to get inside where she can use her physicality to stifle the rangier attack of the challenger.  While she is an excellent grappler in her own right, she should look to avoid long grappling exchanges and instead focus on raining down punches to keep Fairtex from looking for submission attempts.

Your main event for ONE X is locked and loaded! Who will walk out as the ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion? Order the PPV and find out!#ONEX | 26 March | PPV: 8PM SGT/8AM ET | Order PPV: https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL | Get Tickets: https://t.co/4ieR6zyaoE pic.twitter.com/pS55ekYnjo

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 25, 2022

While a victory for either woman would be a seminal one given the circumstances, the work would be far from done.  On the extravagant undercard, ranked atomweights Denice Zamboanga and Seo Hee Ham will battle in a fight that is expected to produce the next contender regardless of whether the champion is Lee or Fairtex.  Considering the run the winner would be on, their next title defense would be one of the more anticipated bouts of 2022 for ONE Championship.

The post ONE X: Lee vs. Stamp Leads an Ambitious Event That Promises to Push the MMA Envelope appeared first on Cageside Press.