Angela Lee Could See Two World Title Reigns Play Out In 2019

ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee (9-0) certainly lives up to her nickname

At 22 years of age, the atomweight queen has risen to the top of the martial arts world without ever tasting defeat. This year, the young phenom had to overcome great adversity to continue her incredible career in ONE Championship.

In November 2017, Lee was involved in a severe car accident that could have put a tragic ending to her young career, or even her life.

Though Lee walked away without any serious injury, it took her some time to heal her physical and mental wounds, and return to defend her belt in a long-awaited rematch with Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi (18-11-1) at ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS on 19 May in Singapore.

The exciting bout brought out the best of both warriors, who each had their shining moments, but in the end, it was “Unstoppable” that did just enough to take home the unanimous decision again and cement her place on the atomweight throne.

Lee was then expected to take on a career-defining challenge on 9 November, but just days before the epic World Champion versus World Champion super-bout, Lee had to pull out citing a back injury.

To the delight of fans all over the world, ONE Championship just announced the showdown is officially rescheduled as part of a stacked ONE: A NEW ERA card, which will take place on Sunday, 31 March in Tokyo, Japan.

Her first assignment of 2019 will be to move up a weight class to face reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan (13-1). It is a bold attempt from the young talent to become the first two-division women’s World Champion in ONE history.

Healthy and more motivated than ever, Lee will have to be at her very best to take out the well-rounded Xiong, who has yet to taste defeat in her ONE career, racking up eight straight triumphs in the cage.

The flyweight super-bout will mark Lee’s biggest test to date, but with her ever-improving striking and top-level grappling, she undoubtedly has the tools to write modern mixed martial arts history.

Taking out the Chinese hero would open up a whole new world of possibilities for “Unstoppable,” as she defends her gold on two fronts.

At strawweight, her first challenge could be an all-Singaporean clash with Tiffany “No Chill” Teo (8-1). The former national boxing champion is coming off the best win of her career against Michelle Nicolini in November – when she showed the improved grappling that could see her be a great match for Lee.

There could not be a better bout to slot into the main event in the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Win or lose against Xiong, the atomweight belt is a target for several hungry contenders – including some rising stars.

Indonesia’s Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol (5-3) made waves as the most active mixed martial artist on ONE Championship’s roster in 2018. “Thathie” won five times in 2018 and showed an evolution to her game every time out. If she can continue her form, a shot at the World Title may not be too far away.

The same can be said for Malaysian talent Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan (4-0), who maintained her perfect record with three straight victories. The cherry on top of her campaign this year was with a dominant win over former ONE Atomweight World Title challenger Jenny Huang (5-4) at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS in December.

Even though Lee now has two wins over Yamaguchi, a third match is also a strong possibility in the future. The World Champion’s bouts with the Japanese mixed martial arts veteran have been competitive and exciting, and few fans would argue if they are booked to meet again.

if “V.V.” can build on her domination of Jomary Torres earlier this month, she will be on the right track to get the shot at redemption she craves.