“Honesty and transparency is what’s needed” – Angela Lee on prioritizing mental health among combat sports athletes

Former ONE women’s atomweight MMA world champion ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee knows what it takes to operate at the highest level of mixed martial arts, after what she has achieved in her illustrious career.

The Singaporean-American superstar and ONE Championship legend became an MMA world champion at 19 when she captured the atomweight throne in 2016, and she held the belt until September this year, when she officially announced her retirement.

But it wasn’t an easy ride for ‘Unstoppable’. Lee admits that there were a myriad of challenges and hurdles throughout her time at the top that maybe fans can’t really understand or see.

Lee believes it is key for athletes, especially for their mental health, that they are open with these struggles and deal with them in a positive manner.

Speaking to Hawaii News Now in a recent interview, Lee shared her thoughts on athlete mental health.

‘Unstoppable’ said:

“This kind of honesty and transparency is what's needed, you know, for the athlete, for the fighters, and for everyone else who's a fan, who's watching them as well. I think it's really important to show the full picture, you know.”

Check out the interview below:

Now at peace with her decision to retire, Lee is a champion of a much different albeit more important cause.

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‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee helping people and athletes through non-profit FightStory

‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee was last seen in action at ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III in Singapore last October 2022. She lost a five-round unanimous decision and failed in her bid to become a two-division world champion.

Later that year, tragedy struck the Lee family when 18-year-old Victoria Lee passed away unexpectedly due to suicide.

The Lee family immediately went into mourning, and both Angela Lee and two-division king Christian Lee stepped away from competition.

On September 30 at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video, Angela Lee returned to officially relinquish her atomweight strap and announce her retirement.

Today, she heads her own non-profit organization, FightStory, which aims to help those dealing with depression and suicide.