MMA fighter Angela Lee retires from the sport

SINGAPORE: Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Angela Lee has announced her retirement from the sport.

In a farewell on Saturday (Sep 30) at the ONE Fight Night 14 event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Lee thanked fans for their support.

The 27-year-old, who was the ONE atomweight champion, has not fought since October 2022. Her younger sister Victoria took her own life in December last year.

Lee walked out to cheers and applause, before placing her championship belt in the middle of the cage.

She talked about the many battles in and out of the ring and waved at fans.

“I’m here today to officially announce my retirement,” Lee said. “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 to 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. The greatest battle that we’ll 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. Each day, we’re victorious when we choose to rise up in the face of adversity. So thank you guys so much. I love you. Thank you.” 

Thailand's Stamp Fairtex, who stopped South Korean Ham Seo-hee in the third round of their bout to become ONE's new atomweight champion, embraced Lee after her victory.

“I love you so much,” Stamp told Lee. “You’re my idol.” The pair fought in March 2022, with Lee winning via submission.

After stepping out of the cage, Lee carried her two-year-old daughter Ava and was embraced by her husband Bruno Pucci before she left the arena. She leaves ONE with an 11-3 record. 

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