Angela Lee

Angela Seung-Ju Lee[7] (Chinese: 李胜珠, Korean: 이승주, born July 8, 1996) is a Canadian-American mixed martial artist of Chinese-Singaporean and Korean heritage who is currently competing in ONE Championship. She holds Canadian and American citizenship.

Not to be confused with Angela Tee.

Angela Lee
BornAngela Seung-Ju Lee
(1996-07-08) July 8, 1996
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Native nameLi Shengzhu (李胜珠)
Lee Seung-ju (이승주)
Nickname(s)Unstoppable[1]
ResidenceWaipahu, Hawaii, United States[2]
NationalityCanadian and American
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight114 lb (51.7 kg; 8.1 st)
DivisionStrawweight
Atomweight
StylePankration, Taekwondo, BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofTanjong Katong, Singapore
TeamEvolve MMA[3]
United MMA[4]
Rank1st degree black belt in Taekwondo
Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Mike Fowler and Ken Lee[5]
Years active2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total12
Wins10
By knockout1
By submission7
By decision2
Losses2
By knockout1
By decision1
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2018)​
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

On May 5, 2016, she became the youngest person to ever win a world title in MMA by defeating Mei Yamaguchi to win the ONE Women's Atomweight (115 lbs) Title.[8] As of June 2017, Fight Matrix ranks her #14 female MMA Strawweight (105.1-115 lbs) in the world.[9]

Background

Born in Vancouver to a Chinese-Singaporean father and a Korean mother, Lee moved to Hawaii at age 7. Her parents are both martial artists, so she began training at a young age and competing at age 6.[10] Her younger brother Christian is also an MMA fighter and her two other younger siblings, Victoria and Adrian (born in Waipahu), also train in martial arts.

In 2011, Angela Lee won her division at the USA Amateur pankration national championships, and the next year, she claimed her division at the World Pangration Athlima Federation world championships in Greece.[11] Lee was awarded her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt on February 9, 2018, by third-degree black belt Mike Fowler and her father Ken Lee, who is also a black belt.[12]

Mixed martial arts career

In 2014, Lee made her amateur debut, and in November of that year she won an amateur title by beating Audrey Perkins at Destiny MMA: Na Koa 7 in Honolulu to become the Destiny MMA strawweight champion.

ONE Championship

Lee signed with ONE Championship in 2014 and made her promotional debut at ONE Championship 28: Warrior's Quest on May 22, 2015, submitting Aya Saber with an arm bar in the opening round.[13]

Following the win, Lee dropped out of college in Hawaii (she was studying business) and moved to Singapore to join Evolve MMA.[14][15] In her next fight, she used a rear naked choke hold to beat Mona Samir at ONE Championship: Odyssey of Champions on September 27, 2015, in the first round.

Lee's third professional fight was at ONE Championship 33: Pride of Lions on November 13, 2015,[16] and she submitted Natalie Gonzales Hills with a twister in the opening round in what commentators described as a potential submission of the year contender.[17][18][19] She subsequently won the 2015 WMMA Press Award for Submission of the Year.[20]

Next, she faced Lena Tkhorevska at ONE Championship 36: Spirit of Champions on December 11, 2015,[21] and won with a rear naked choke in the second round. Lee's first fight of 2016 was against Rebecca Heintzman at ONE Championship 39: Tribe of Warriors on February 20, 2016, and she won with a second round neck crank.

Lee's reward for submitting her first five opponents was a shot at the inaugural ONE Championship Atomweight Women's Title against Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi at ONE Championship 42: Ascent to Power on May 6, 2016.[22][23][24] Winning the fight would make her the youngest-ever MMA world champion.[25][26]

Lee won the fight by unanimous decision to become the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight Champion, and received a $68,200 SGD bonus for her performance.[27] The MMA media described her fight with Yamaguchi as a Fight of the Year contender.[28][29][30] She subsequently signed a new contract with ONE Championship. Commentators speculated that her new contract made Lee the highest paid teenager in the history of MMA, male or female.[31][32]

On March 11, 2017, Angela Lee defeated Jenny Huang of Taiwan and retained the Atomweight World Championship title. On May 27, 2017, she was successful in her second title defense against Istela Nunes of Brazil.

On November 8, 2017, Chatri Sityodtong announced that Angela Lee was involved in a serious car accident after she fell asleep at the wheel of her car.[33] She managed to survive the incident with a concussion and minor burns. Lee's bout with Mei Yamaguchi that was scheduled for November 24 has been rescheduled to May 18, 2018,[34] at One Championship Unstoppable Dreams in Singapore.[35] Lee won via unanimous decision.

Lee was expected to face reigning strawweight champion Jingnan Xiong at ONE Championship 78: Heart of the Lion on November 9, 2018, in an attempt to become the first female two-division champion in ONE Championship.[36] However, on November 5, 2018, Lee revealed that she was forced off the card due to a back injury.[37] The fight eventually happened on March 31, 2019, at One Championship: A New Era. Lee was defeated via TKO in round 5, which snapped her undefeated streak.[38]

At ONE Championship: Masters of Destiny, Angela Lee suffered another defeat at the hands of Michelle Nicolini, via unanimous decision.

Lee next defended her ONE Atomweight Championship against Xiong Jingnan – whose Strawweight Championship Lee failed to capture – at ONE Championship: Century on October 13, 2019.[39] She won the fight by submission in the fifth round.[40]

Personal life

She is married to fellow mixed martial artist Bruno Pucci. On October 1, 2020, Lee announced on her social media that they are expecting a baby, due in April 2021.[41]

Both Lee and her Husband Pucci are head coaches at United BJJ Hawaii, a gym that they founded in 2021. The opening of their gym was delayed by several days as the result of vandalism just prior to the date.[42]

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur pankration
  • World Pangration Athlima Federation World Championships:
    • 2012 Agon (full contact) Girls, 16-17 yrs, 58 kg - Champion.[43]
    • 2012 Semi (semi contact) Girls, Juniors, 58 kg - Champion.[44]

Scholastic wrestling
  • HHSAA 2013, 121 lbs. girls wrestling champion.[45]

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
12 matches 10 wins 2 losses
By knockout 1 1
By submission 7 0
By decision 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 10–2 Xiong Jing Nan Submission (rear-naked choke) ONE Championship: Century Part 1 October 13, 2019 5 4:48 Tokyo, Japan Return to Atomweight (115 lbs). Defended the ONE Women's Atomweight Championship.
Loss 9–2 Michelle Nicolini Decision (unanimous) ONE Championship: Masters of Destiny July 12, 2019 3 5:00 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Loss 9–1 Xiong Jing Nan TKO (body kicks and punches) ONE Championship: A New Era March 31, 2019 5 1:37 Tokyo, Japan Strawweight debut (125 lbs). For the ONE Women's Strawweight Championship.
Win 9–0 Mei Yamaguchi Decision (unanimous) ONE Championship: Unstoppable Dreams May 18, 2018 5 5:00 Kallang, Singapore Defended the ONE Women's Atomweight Championship
Win 8–0 Istela Nunes Submission (anaconda choke) ONE Championship: Dynasty of Heroes May 26, 2017 2 2:18 Kallang, Singapore Defended the ONE Women's Atomweight Championship
Win 7–0 Jenny Huang TKO (punches) ONE Championship: Warrior Kingdom March 11, 2017 3 3:37 Bangkok, Thailand Defended the ONE Women's Atomweight Championship
Win 6–0 Mei Yamaguchi Decision (unanimous) ONE Championship: Ascent to Power May 6, 2016 5 5:00 Kallang, Singapore Won the ONE Women's Atomweight Championship
Win 5–0 Rebecca Heintzman Submission (neck crank) ONE Championship: Tribe of Warriors February 20, 2016 2 1:08 Jakarta, Indonesia
Win 4–0 Lena Tkhorevska Submission (rear-naked choke) ONE Championship: Spirit of Champions Dec 11, 2015 2 3:26 Manila, Philippines
Win 3–0 Natalie Gonzales Hills Submission (twister) ONE Championship: Pride of Lions Nov 13, 2015 1 2:24 Kallang, Singapore
Win 2–0 Mona Samir Submission (rear-naked choke) ONE Championship: Odyssey of Champions Sep 27, 2015 1 3:49 Jakarta, Indonesia
Win 1–0 Aya Saber Submission (armbar) ONE Championship: Warrior's Quest May 22, 2015 1 1:43 Kallang, Singapore

See also

References
  1. "Angela Lee Profile". Sherdog. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  2. Lim Say Heng (November 10, 2017). "MMA: Angela Lee says it is a 'miracle' she survived Monday's car accident". The Straits Times.
  3. "Singapore MMA star Angela Lee is hungry to be a champion". The Straits Times. April 30, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  4. Alexander K. Lee (October 10, 2019). "Angela Lee rejuvenated ahead of Xiong Jing Nan rematch, still determined to win 125-pound title". mmafighting.com.
  5. "Angela Lee - Evolve MMA Singapore | Asia's #1 Mixed Martial Arts Gym". evolve-mma.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  6. Jessie Lim (July 25, 2018). "MMA: Angela Lee rings wedding bells with Brazilian fighter in Hawaii". The Straits Times.
  7. Boarding pass from Angela Lee's instagram, retrieved March 8, 2017
  8. Teng Kiat. "MMA star Angela Lee becomes youngest-ever world champion". Yahoo.
  9. "Fight Matrix Current MMA Rankings » Women's Strawweight". www.fightmatrix.com. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  10. Neil Davidson. "Vancouver-born fighter (Unstoppable) Angela Lee goes after world title". The Canadian Press.
  11. Kyle Nagel. "Fight Path: For ONE Championship 27's Angela Lee, surprise at-home attacks were normal". MMA Junkie.
  12. "With his family beside him, Christian Lee is marching toward a shot at the featherweight title". The Body Lock. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  13. Brian Knapp. "Shinya Aoki Keeps Lightweight Title, Decisions Koji Ando at One Championship 27". Sherdog.
  14. Sanjay Nair. "Mixed Martial Arts: Angela Lee quits school aiming to be Singapore's 1st world champion". Straits Times.
  15. James Goyder. "Angela Lee Switched Her Training to Singapore in Search of One Championship Gold". MMA Weekly.
  16. Saheli Roy Choudhury. "Asia's female MMA star: 'I finish fights very quickly...'". CNBC.
  17. MMA Insider. "Historic twister submission in ONE Championship cage by Singaporean MMA star Angela Lee". Yahoo! Sports.
  18. FO Staff. "One Championship's Angela Lee pulls off twister submission". Fighters Only. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  19. Neil Davidson. "Angela 'Unstoppable' Lee, Vancouver-Born MMA Athlete, Turns Heads In Asia". The Canadian Press.
  20. "Angela Lee Takes WMMA Press 2015 Newcomer & Submission Award". Wombat Sports. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  21. Mick Hammond. "Friday's Fight is Angela Lee's Next Step Towards ONE CHAMPIONSHIP Title". MMA Weekly.
  22. Jim Edwards. "Angela Lee looking to make history and pioneer women's MMA at ONE: Ascent To Power". The Independent.
  23. LIM SAY HENG. "Angela Lee eyes first ONE Championship women's title". The New Paper.
  24. James Edwards. "Angela Lee to square off with Mei Yamaguchi to crown ONE Women's atomweight world champion". Daily Mirror.
  25. "Youngest-Ever MMA Champion Could Come Out of Singapore". Bloomberg.
  26. Lee U-Wen. "Angela Lee's ready for the fight of her life". Business Times.
  27. "MMA: Angela Lee awarded $68,200 bonus following title victory". The New Paper.
  28. Brian Knapp. "Angela Lee Takes Atomweight Title in FOTY Contender at One Championship 42". Sherdog.
  29. Alexander K. Lee. "Watch: 19-year-old Angela Lee wins ONE title in thriller". The Score.
  30. Jay Russell. "2016 Fight Of The Year Candidate: Angela Lee vs Mei Yamaguchi (Video)". Vendetta Fighter. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  31. James Goyder. "NEWLY CROWNED ONE ATOMWEIGHT CHAMP ANGELA LEE SIGNS HUGE NEW CONTRACT". MMA Weekly.
  32. Chua Siang Yee. "Mixed martial arts: Lucrative new deal for Angela Lee". Straits Times.
  33. "Chatri Sityodtong". www.facebook.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  34. Lim Say Heng (March 8, 2018). "MMA: Angela Lee wants to be first dual-division women's champion in One Championship". The Straits Times.
  35. "Unstoppable Dreams". ONE Championship. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  36. Alexander K. Lee (October 2, 2018). "Angela Lee aims to become ONE's first two-division female champ, Bibiano Fernandes announced for Nov. 9 show". mmafighting.com.
  37. Fernanda Prates (November 5, 2018). "Angela Lee's dual-title plans on hold after back injury forces ONE Championship 83 withdrawal". mmajunkie.com.
  38. Lee, Alexander K. (March 31, 2019). "ONE Championship: A New Era results: Shinya Aoki chokes out Eduard Folayang to win title, Xiong Jing Nan stops Angela Lee". MMA Fighting. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  39. Alexander K. Lee (June 30, 2019). "Angela Lee, Aung La Nsang, Bibiano Fernandes title fights announced for ONE Championship's 100th show". mmafighting.com.
  40. "Angela Lee expects trilogy bout with Xiong Jing Nan to happen in 2020". asianmma.com. November 27, 2019.
  41. "Angela Lee announces pregnancy". asianmma.com. October 2, 2020.
  42. https://jitsmagazine.com/one-fc-champion-angela-lee-delays-opening-united-bjj-hawaii-after-vandalism/
  43. "2012 WORLDPANGRATION CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS AGON". www.worldpangration.net. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  44. "2012 WORLDPANGRATION CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS PANGRATION IMIEPAFIS". www.worldpangration.net. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  45. "Wrestling - HHSAA Girls Final Results - Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA)". www.sportshigh.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  46. "ONE Championship's Fight Of The Year 2016". ONE Championship. Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  47. "Angela Lee Takes WMMA Press 2015 Newcomer & Submission Award". Wombat Sports. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  48. "World MMA Awards nominees set with new 'analyst,' 'MMA programming' categories". MMA Junkie. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  49. Bryan Tucker (July 4, 2019). "World MMA Awards 2019 Results". mmafighting.com.
  50. "MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for May: A teen sensation shines in a back-and-forth war". MMAjunkie. June 4, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2017.

Further reading
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