"POWER OF MOTHERHOOD" - ONE Champion Angela Lee shares a message for her daughter

In April 2021, ONE Championship women's atomweight champion 'Unstoppable' Angela Lee welcomed her daughter Ava Marie into the world. Lee recently took to Instagram to share a message of inspiration for her daughter. In her post, Lee said:

"THE BEAUTY + POWER OF MOTHERHOOD WHILE PURSUING YOUR PASSION. My hope is to show my daughter that women are capable of anything and everything. Don't succomb to what society says you should or should not do. Only you know what's truly best for you. Break barriers & lead the way!"

The post also contained a quote that Lee gave to @andmother_org, an Instagram account dedicated to women who strive to exceed in both a career and motherhood. It reads:

"As a woman, and now a mother, I do feel a sense of pride in what I'm doing and I hope it does inspire other women, mothers, or young girls out there because it's tough work and it should be celebrated." ⁠

Lee should feel great pride in what she has accomplished and continues to accomplish. Bursting into the promotion in 2015, Lee earned five straight submission victories.

Her reward, an opportunity to become the promotion's first women's atomweight champion. She defeated Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi to become the youngest MMA champion in the world, winning the title at just 21 years of age.

Lee never relinquished the title, even after becoming a mother. Less than a year after the birth of her daughter, Lee returned to the ONE Circle and defended her title against Stamp Fairtex at ONE X in March.

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Angela Lee on balancing motherhood with being a fighter

Speaking to ESPN, Angela Lee discussed the balancing act of being new to motherhood alongside being a professional fighter, which takes a significant amount of dedication and self-care.

"I've taken these last two years to become a mother. Being a mother is the most selfless job in the world and being a fighter is about focusing on yourself, so balancing and juggling those two has been really key in the whole preparation."

While Angela Lee loves the thrill of competition and being the best, becoming a mother showed her that life is about more than just fighting. She plans to use her platform to share her message with young women around the world.

"Life is so much more than being about fighting and I've been given this position where hundreds of thousands of young girls and young women around the world know my name and my story. That's powerful. I feel I have a responsibility to share my truth, my story, and my journey with them and not just the highlights. I want to bring them through the ups and downs, the good and the bad, because that's real life."