Angela Lee is entering a new phase of her martial arts journey.
The longtime ONE Championship star announced her retirement from MMA and vacated her ONE 115-pound title on Friday night at ONE Fight Night 14 in Singapore. Lee’s decision comes shortly after she revealed in a Players Tribune essay that her 2017 car crash was a suicide attempt and that her 18-year-old sister Victoria Lee also took her own life in 2022.
The toll has been heavy on Lee, which ultimately led to her decision to lay down her gloves and put an end to her fighting career.
“This year has been the hardest year of my life,” an emotional Lee said. “I’m doing my best to pick up the pieces and move forward.”
“I’m here today to officially announce my retirement. It has been an incredible eight years. I just want to say thank you to the fans, to ONE Championship, to Chatri [Sityodtong], to my teams, and just everyone. There have been so many battles, in and out of the cage.
“The last thing I want to say is this: To the fighters and to everyone out there watching right now, is that 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. So thank you guys so much, I love you. Thank you.”
Born into a martial arts family, Lee began competing in Pankration tournaments and learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu at a very young age. Lee eventually transitioned to MMA, where she signed with ONE Championship when she was just 18 years old. She made an immediate impact with the promotion.
Lee rattled off five straight wins to start her career then became the inaugural ONE 115-pound champion in 2016 at just age 19. She went on to defend her belt five times in her career and also tested herself in several contests at 125 pounds.
Lee last competed in October 2022, dropping a decision to reigning ONE 125-pound champion Xiong Jingnan in a rubber match after the pair split two previous meetings.
Following her sister’s tragic death, Lee took an extended break from the sport. ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong previously announced that she was considering retirement, however no decision had been made official until Friday. Lee said her goal now is to work with FightStory, a non-profit she created in honor of Victoria which supports people telling their own stories about mental health.
“FightStory was created because of my sister Victoria, and I’m choosing to honor her and her life by moving forward and helping others,” Lee said.
Lee’s career concludes with an 11-3 record overall. She remains undefeated at 115 pounds.
Following her retirement, Stamp Fairtex defeated UFC veteran Seo Hee Ham with a vicious body punch in the third round at ONE Fight Night 14 to claim the vacant 115-pound title.