“They’re amazing athletes” - Lea Bivins shares how the Lees inspired her MMA career

Lea Bivins will make her ONE Championship debut at ONE 159 on July 22 when she faces Indian fighter Zeba Bano. Coming off of a loss to Nat ‘Wondergirl’ Jaroonsak at ONE 157 in May, Bano will look to get back into the win column at the expense of the 19-year-old debutant.

Bivins, who trains out of UMMAF member club House Of Moons gym in Orangevale, California, made her MMA debut in 2021 winning three straight bouts in the IMMAF World Championships Pankration. She now looks to carry that success onto the biggest global stage of ONE Championship.

Ahead of her debut this month, Bivins spoke to ONE Championship about training with the famous Lee family, consisting of reigning ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee, former ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee, and their undefeated younger sibling Victoria Lee.

“They’re honestly just genuinely great people, even coach [Ken] Lee. They go out there, and they really want the best for you as a training partner. They’re not out there to hurt you. They’re there to help you.”

While discussing some of the obstacles she has had to overcome in her journey to the circle, Bivins talked about the difficulty of being a woman in a largely male-dominated sport.

“[The hardest thing I’ve had to overcome] I would say is the female aspect of going into a male-dominated sport, especially because I’m one of the only girls at the gym. Most of my training partners are males.”

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Lea Bivins finds inspiration watching ONE Championship’s elite female fighters

One source of inspiration that has helped guide Bivins through her still-young career was watching the fighters that she now has the privilege to train alongside.

“There are a lot of stereotypes about what people expect to see a professional fighter. They don’t usually expect to see a female professional fighter. That’s why I always grew up watching Angela Lee and Victoria. They’re amazing athletes.”

Lea Bivins will look to utilize her high-level wrestling to control the pace against Bano. Bivins will bring a long list of achievements with her when she steps into the circle. She is a 2016 regional, state, and national wrestling champion, a four-time NAGA champion, a 2019 United States Fight League Champion, and a 2019 Youth World Champion.

Aside from her wrestling accolades, Lea Bivins also boasts a purple belt in BJJ. More than capable of handling herself on the mat, Bivins will put her skills to the test when she faces another skilled wrestler in Zeba Bano on July 22.