Former ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Angela Lee needs no introduction to the world of fighting. The 28-year-old had one of the most legendary runs in the world’s largest martial arts organization. However, she surprised everyone when she decided to retire from the sport at ONE Fight Night 14 in September last year. ‘Unstoppable ‘ recently sat down for a chat with Demetrious Johnson on his show Mighty Cast. While speaking to the 37-year-old, she revealed that she had once lost the love for fighting.

The former champion said, “I think I kind of told myself ‘I love it, I love it, I love it,’ for so long. And after a while, I wasn’t really honest with myself. About like hey I think I might be getting burnt out. Hey, like this is not really fun anymore. I want a break but I didn’t know how to or I did voice it up to my team and my family but there was some disagreement about ‘this is not really the time to do that and this and that.’” While she did lose her love for the sport, her records were nothing short of outstanding. Let us take a closer look at what the 28-year-old achieved in her career. 

Angela Lee and her incredible achievements during her fighting career 

28-year-old Angela Lee is one of those rare fighters who witnessed success at a young age. At 19, Lee won the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship to make her mark on the sport. While speaking to ‘Mighty Mouse’ she said “Man, what a roller coaster you know. Getting into the spotlight at such a young age, I loved it.” It was indeed a roller coaster ride for the former champion. After going undefeated in her first nine fights to dominate the atomweight division, she went on to challenge Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Title at ONE: A NEW ERA in March 2019. 

However, she failed to capture the crown from the equally formidable Chinese fighter, which ended her winning run. ‘Unstoppable’ was able to avenge her loss seven months later when “The Panda” decided to step down a weight class in pursuit of two-division glory. Shortly after, Lee stepped away from competition to become a mother.

Upon her return, she asserted her place at the top of the division by defeating then-interim champ Stamp Fairtex at ONE X in March 2022 to claim undisputed status. In October of the same year, her quest to become a two-division World Champion was once again foiled by a sterling performance from Xiong. 

Despite being at the top of the game, the former champion decided to call it quits from the sport in the wake of her late sister, Victoria Lee. The younger Lee took her life at 18, which severely hampered the 28-year-old. “I don’t have the heart to step in there again,” were the exact words when she decided to call it quits. 

Lee never lost her 115-pound title and decided to vacate it at ONE Fight Night 14 broadcast in Singapore. It was ultimately won by Stamp, after she defeated South Korean veteran Ham Seo Hee. After retiring from the sport, ‘Unstoppable’ is doing her bit to help other fighters who are dealing with depression. Let us take a look at the initiative taken by the former champion. 

Adrian Lee’s initiative which is helping others cope with depression 

While the 28-year-old is retired from the sport, she is still finding ways to help the people around her fight their own battles. Lee has started a wonderful initiative called ‘Fight Story’, a non-profit organization that was started in memory of her late sister, Victoria Lee. This far, it has been nothing short of a revolution. It helps athletes in their battle with depression and tries to assist in taking care of their mental health. Losing a sister at such a young age is one of the worst feelings and Lee is now doing her bit to prevent any such instances further. 

She recently appeared on the Yanagida podcast on Spotify to give a sneak peek into her life post-retirement. Lee seemed pretty happy with her personal life and said, “Well, first and foremost, I’m a wife and mother to Ava”. She then shared an update about her initiative and was proud of where it was now. “Even though I retired, I still consider myself a fighter. I’m a gym owner and founder. My fight story, you know, it was incredible. For people that do know me, they’re like, yeah,” added the former champion. 

Christian and Adrian Lee are also doing their part to pay tribute to their late sister. After his emphatic debut victory, 18-year-old Adrian Lee is now set to compete at ONE 168: Denver, and will take on American newcomer Nicolas Cornejo. Meanwhile, the two-division king, Christian Lee, also returns to action as he defends his lightweight strap at ONE 169: Atlanta in November against Alibeg Rasulov. 

What do you feel about the initiative taken up by Angela Lee? Let us know about it in the comments below.