Angela Lee overwhelmed by the amount of support that Fightstory has received so far: “It really blew me away”

Newly retired ONE superstar Angela Lee is excited and appreciative of the kind of support her nonprofit organization Fightstory has received so far.

Established this year, the organization is aimed at helping people struggling with mental health go through life. It is in Fightstory that the former ONE women’s atomweight MMA world champion wants to focus her attention in the next phase of her life. That's in addition to being a mother and a wife.

The endeavor is also to honor the memory of her younger sister and fellow ONE fighter Victoria, who took her own life at the age of 18 back in December.

In an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Angela Lee was happy to share that the reception to Fightstory has been overwhelming, inspiring them to press on with their mission in making a difference in other people’s lives while also enriching their own.

The Singaporean-American athlete said:

“It really blew me away just to see how many messages have come in, detailing not only their own personal struggles but of a loved one or of a loved one who's not here. And just to see that, like that you know we're definitely not alone in how we're feeling, and that this issue is something that affects everyone.

“Mental health is something that affects each and every one of us and it's something that we just don't say, we don't talk about it, no one likes to bring up that kind of conversation. But it's important you know that we do that [open up about mental health].”

Check out the interview below:

Angela Lee announced her retirement at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video on September 29 in Singapore. She first vacated the ONE atomweight MMA world title before dropping the news.

She became world champion in 2016 and successfully defended her belt five times. The 27-year-old fighter was last in action in September 2022, when she vied for the women’s strawweight MMA world title against divisional queen Xiong Jing Nan but lost by unanimous decision.

Angela Lee ended her ONE career with an 11-3 record. Upon her retirement, Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex ascended to the top of the division after beating Ham Seo Hee of South Korea by third-round technical knockout in their headlining fight at ONE Fight Night 14.