Angela Lee's Top 4 Performances In The ONE Championship Cage

At just 20-years of age, “Unstoppable” Angela Lee has taken the sport of mixed martial arts by storm with her incredible skill and talent, coupled with her undeniable charm.

The reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion, Lee is unbeaten as a professional and has shown steady improvement with each outing.

Out of her seven total victories thus far, six bouts have ended by spectacular finish. And while it is still early into her professional martial arts career, there are a few performances that have helped Lee’s star embark on its meteoric rise.

Before she takes on her next challenger, Brazil’s Istela Nunes, at ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES this 26 May, let’s take a look at the performances that got the champion to where she is now.

#1 Against Mei Yamaguchi At ONE: ASCENT TO POWER, 6 May 2016

In her finest moment to date, Lee took on Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship. It was one of the year’s most anticipated matchups, and the two women warriors did not disappoint in this Fight of the Year 2016 winner.

Prior to entering the cage, there was a lot of buzz surrounding Lee. At the time, Lee was just 19-years of age and five fights into her professional MMA career.

Yet, there she was, challenging a veteran with over 20 fights’ experience for the chance to become the world’s youngest-ever mixed martial arts world champion.

It certainly wasn’t easy, and Lee had to overcome being knocked down in the third round from a huge overhand right that sent her crashing to the canvas, but she was able to pull through in the end.

Lee dominated Yamaguchi for the majority of the bout, stifling the Japanese fighter with various transitions while threatening with submissions. In the end, all three judges scored in favor of Lee.

#2 Against Jenny Huang At ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM, 11 March 2017

When this fight was booked, Lee and Huang were expected to treat fans to an amazing display of ground fighting in a showdown of submission specialists.

After all, both of them had won most of their fights by submission, while pulling off some of the most unorthodox and rare maneuvers in professional martial arts competition – a Twister for Lee, and a Gogoplata for Huang.

What no one saw coming, however, was Angela Lee uncovering a new facet of her game by completely dominating Huang on the feet.

Entering the bout, many fans and observers felt Lee left much to be desired in the striking department. It was her most obvious weakness after having won five of her first six fights by submission.

Opponents became wary of Lee’s robust ground game, and knew they had to keep the fight standing to have a chance at victory. That all changed when Lee destroyed Huang with her newfound striking skills.

Lee battered Huang from start to finish, punishing the Taiwanese fighter with pinpoint combinations and powerful shots. When Huang would try to shoot in for a takedown, Lee would defend against it effortlessly.

By the third round, Huang simply had enough, and was forced to bow out of the contest after it became evident Lee would continue to land unanswered punches from mount.

#3 Against Lena Tkhorevska At ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS, 11 December 2015

When Lee made her professional debut opposite Aya Saber in May of 2015, she impressed the crowd with her highly-technical grappling ability. The level of skill Lee exhibited was remarkable, and she became an instant star.

Against Polish fighter Lena Tkhorevska, Lee faced an equally talented grappler, and as you can imagine, it was a technical treat for fans who can appreciate a good roll.

Lee and Tkhorevska both enjoyed moments of dominance, and at times had each other in deep trouble. That’s all you could really ask for in a match, and to this day, Tkhorevska remains Lee’s toughest challenge inside the ONE Championship cage.

With the constant threat of submissions, it was only a matter of time before somebody forced a tap. By sheer determination, Lee weathered the storm and mustered just enough willpower to sink in the fight-ending rear naked choke in the second round.

It was a close fight that ended in an instant, but who wouldn’t want to see these two in a rematch somewhere down the road?

#4 Against Natalie Gonzales Hills At ONE: PRIDE OF LIONS, 13 November 2015 

This was Lee’s first performance that really put the entire world on notice. Not only did Lee win her third-straight bout by submission, but she did so executing one of the rarest techniques in all of mixed martial arts.

Not commonly seen, and even so far as barred from some Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, the “Twister” is an unorthodox spinal lock that is extremely difficult to pull off. You have to wait to be in a certain position, and the opportunity has to present itself.

While outclassing Hills on the ground, Lee smartly recognized the move was there for the taking, and what we’re left with is an awesome display of skill and technical mastery. Despite just being a brown belt in BJJ, Lee operates at a much higher level inside the cage.

As Natalie Gonzales Hills found out the hard way, Lee is an absolute ace on the mats.