Angela Lee admits feeling torn at first about her retirement decision: “I do love what I do, MMA and fighting”

Angela Lee’s shocking retirement announcement at ONE Fight Night 14 last weekend was indeed one of the most emotional farewells in mixed martial arts.

After taking a hiatus from the sport at the beginning of the year following the tragic passing of her sister Victoria Lee, ‘Unstoppable’ graced the ONE stage for the final time and bid her goodbyes at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

A lot of tears were shed by fans inside the arena and the millions watching at home after Lee vacated her ONE atomweight world MMA world title by symbolically leaving it inside the circle, where she had countless memorable moments over the years.

Her throne was later occupied by her successor Stamp Fairtex, who beat Ham Seo Hee in the main event to become the new queen of the atomweight MMA division.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post at the conclusion of the historic event, Lee explained the roller coaster of emotions throughout her martial arts career, where she experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

“For every individual, we kinda need an outlet. What many people may not realize is, that physical health and mental health are very much connected. It’s very much a balancing act.

And martial arts can be great, it can give you that outlet, that community but also, when you’re doing it at the highest level, that can create pressure that can be unhealthy.”

Moreover, Angela Lee admitted that walking away from it all was a tough decision to make at first, given her passion for combat sports. She added:

“It’s difficult because I do love what I do, MMA and fighting.”

Watch Angela Lee’s emotional interview with SCMP MMA below:

While we’ll no longer have the pleasure of watching the ‘Unstoppable’ inside the Circle, the division is certainly in good hands with the new world champion, Stamp.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can rewatch the amazing night of fights from ONE Fight Night 14 anytime on demand.