Angela Lee says fighters often hide their emotions to appear ‘tough”: “We really have to put on this mask”

ONE women’s atomweight MMA world champion Angela Lee understands that most professional fighters try to maintain a façade of strength, given the brutal nature of the sport they’re in.

This means putting on a brave face and a fake smile during media obligations and sweeping mental health issues under a rug, tucked in a place where no one would dare find them.

In an emotional interview with Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA’s DC & RC, Lee discussed several eye-opening topics, including fighters hiding their emotions just to maintain the illusion of being ‘tough’.

‘Unstoppable’ shared:

“It's hard because in our sport in our profession, it doesn't really give us any space to show these kind of emotions, and we really have to put on this mask that, you know, we're the strongest in the world and we're the best in the world like everything is great.”

In the same gut-wrenching interview, Lee unabashedly revealed that she was not entirely honest about figuring in a car accident in 2017.

According to the Singaporean-American star, she purposely drove her vehicle to a ledge and tried to end her life that night, as she could no longer bear the weight of her mental struggles.

The 27-year-old ‘mom-champ’ continued:

“So I think first, for a while, I was maybe fooling myself with that and not dealing with a lot of things that I should have been dealing with. So for me, it is like a combination of those factors that kind of lead you to a crisis.”

Angela Lee is indeed one of the most inspirational figures in women’s MMA. As it turns out, she’s an even bigger role model outside of it.

Her courage to speak out and admit to the darkest moments of her life gives hope to everyone walking in the same shoes.

Watch Angela Lee’s full interview here: