MMA fighter Victoria Lee dies at 18

SINGAPORE: Mixed martial arts fighter Victoria Lee has died, her sister Angela Lee said on Sunday (Jan 8).

The ONE Championship atomweight was 18.

"On December 26, 2022 our family experienced something no family should ever have to go through," said Angela Lee in a post on Instagram.

"It is incredibly difficult to say this ... Our Victoria passed away.

"She has gone too soon and our family has been completely devastated since then. We miss her. More than anything in this world. Our family will never be the same. Life will never be the same."

Victoria Lee's death in Hawaii was publicly announced by the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park in Kaneohe on Friday.

According to the South China Morning Post, she was slated to compete in her fourth professional MMA fight, against India's Zeba Bano, at ONE on Prime Video 6 on Jan 14 in Bangkok.

Nicknamed "The Prodigy", Victoria Lee was also the younger sister of ONE lightweight and welterweight champion Christian Lee.

She made her professional MMA debut with the promotion in February 2021, defeating Thailand's Sunisa Srisen by submission with a rear-naked choke in the second round.

Her second fight came in July of the same year, when she scored another submission win with an armbar against China's Wang Luping in less than four minutes.

In her third fight for ONE Championship two months later, she defeat Victoria Souza of Brazil by first-round TKO.

"Please give our family grace and respect during this most difficult time," Angela Lee said as she concluded her post.

"And please, check on your loved ones. Keep checking on them. Give them hugs and tell them how much they mean to you. You just never know."

Figures from the MMA community left their condolences on Angela Lee's Instagram posts.

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