SINGAPORE – Since making her mixed martial arts (MMA) debut as an 18-year-old in 2015, Angela Lee has carried the fight name “Unstoppable” with her into the cage.
She has more than lived up to that billing in an eight-year career but on Saturday, the 27-year-old announced her retirement in a teary farewell at the One Fight Night 14 event, in front of a near-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium crowd.
Lee has not fought since October 2022, when she lost a strawweight world title fight to China’s Xiong Jingnan at the same venue. Her announcement was unsurprising to most, however, given One chief executive Chatri Sityodtong had previously hinted Lee might hang up her gloves following the sudden death of her younger sister Victoria, 18, in December 2022.
It certainly felt like a goodbye was on the cards. A highlights reel of Lee’s career played on the multiple screens inside the arena before she walked out with The Script’s Hall of Fame in the background and a thunderous applause.
Lee was visibly emotional and tears flowed down her face as she made her final walk to the ring with her One atomweight championship belt on her shoulders.
She placed the belt in the middle of the cage before addressing the crowd: “I am 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 team and to everyone. There have been so many battles in and out of the cage.”
Her husband, Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete Bruno Pucci, and two-year-old daughter Ava, were both waiting for her as she stepped out of the cage and all three shared an emotional hug.
Lee retires with an 11-3 record in One. Born in Canada to a Singaporean dad and South Korean mum, she fought under the Singapore flag. She rose quickly through the ranks in the women’s atomweight division (up to 52.2kg), thrilling fans and impressing analysts with her expertise in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling and striking technique.
She became the youngest MMA world champion in 2016, defeating Mei Yamaguchi by decision to win the inaugural atomweight title, which she never relinquished until Saturday.
Her attention will now be focused on her non-profit charity Fightstory, which she launched in July. Fightstory is dedicated to inspiring hope and building a community for those struggling with mental health. In a recent interview with The Straits Times, Lee said her charity was inspired by her late sister and her own mental health struggles – Lee admitted recently that she attempted suicide in 2017.
She explained her decision later: “With everything that has happened, and after losing Victoria, too many things have changed. I just didn’t have the heart for it any more. Even training is something I couldn’t think about because she (Victoria) was my main training partner.
“I know this is the right decision. I’m closing the door on one chapter and ready to open the next chapter which is Fightstory.”
The Lee legacy will be continued by her brother, Christian, 25, who is currently One’s lightweight and welterweight champion. Chatri had told ST recently that Christian would make his return in early 2024 while noting that he expected the youngest Lee sibling, Adrian, 17, to join One in the future.
It was almost a full house for One Fight Night 14 despite the show beginning at around 8am to coincide with American prime time. Lee’s star power was still apparent as hundreds of fans turned up at 7am for a meet-and-greet session with her.
Lightweight Amir Khan, the only Singaporean fighter on Saturday’s cards, lost via a third-round knockout to Eduard Folayang of the Philippines.
In the main event between Stamp Fairtex and Ham Seo-hee, who were set to contest the interim atomweight belt before it was upgraded to an undisputed title after Lee’s announcement, Stamp triumphed with a third-round body-shot knockout.
The Thai fighter later shared a long embrace with Lee, one champion handing over to the next. Stamp, who was in tears after her win, said: “I am very sad she doesn’t want to continue her journey. But I want to let her know she has been my idol from my first day in MMA. I love you Angela.”
Main results
Stamp Fairtex def. Ham Seo-hee (TKO)
Smilla Sundell def. Allycia Hellen Rodrigues (TKO)
Danielle Kelly def. Jessa Khan (unanimous decision)
Xiong Jingnan def. Nat Jaroonsak (TKO)
