Angela Lee says past experiences, overall well-being spurned her to create FightStory: “It’s really important they have this”

Angela Lee may have retired from mixed martial arts, but she remains an active figure in helping the sport’s athletes improve themselves on and off the competition.

The inaugural ONE women’s women’s atomweight MMA world champion now leads her non-profit organization FightStory, an initiative she started following the untimely passing of her younger sister, Victoria.

In an interview with The Aloha Hour, Lee recalled how she created FightStory.

Lee said that apart from Victoria’s sudden passing, she wanted to help fighters and regular people alike in dealing with their mental health struggles.

The women’s MMA pioneer added that FightStory also aims to help athletes prepare and repair their bodies better through proper nutrition, rest, and training.

She said:

“So, I think the basis for FightStory is based on two things, honoring our past experiences, we all have stories and struggles that we've overcome. So bringing that to light and sharing those experiences with others. And then two taking preventive action for better mental health, for better physical health, and better health in general.”

Lee added:

“To do that, I want to create a program that will be free and accessible for combat sports athletes initially. So I think it's really important that they have this program or course that they can access, that will provide them insight and education on nutrition, recovery, and emotional well-being. So these three things I think would be you know really vital to not just prevent any kind of a crisis or breakdown from happening but to even boost your athletic performance.”

Lee has been a stellar advocate for mental health, and her work with FightStory helped fighters and other athletes to be more vocal about their internal struggles.

MMA legend Daniel Cormier also praised Lee for her work and her initiative to help break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially in the cutthroat world of combat sports.

‘Unstoppable’ is one of the biggest stars in ONE Championship history, but she decided to retire in September this year to turn her attention to honoring her sister and helping FightStory grow further.

Watch Lee's entire interview below: