“It's really unbelievable” – Angela Lee honored to bring women’s MMA to the forefront in Asia

Angela Lee already owns a piece of ONE Championship history as the promotion’s first and only atomweight world champion. She’ll be adding one more chapter come March 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The atomweight queen will headline ONE X, ONE Championship’s 10-year anniversary card. In the headliner, she'll defend her golden strap against Grand Prix winner Stamp Fairtex.

'Unstoppable' Lee says she’s not just honored to close out the company’s biggest show ever, but she’s also proud to be at the forefront of women’s MMA.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the longtime champion said she never imagined being in such a position:

“No, definitely not. I mean, when I first started, you know, my main focus was to become a world champion. And now, it's the only thing that mattered to me. So you know, it's been a few years since then. And now, headlining one of the greatest cards in ONE Championship history, it's really unbelievable and I I feel super honored... I've worked really hard in the past few years and I'm just proud that I was able to bring women's MMA to where it is today, especially here in Asia.”

Lee (10-2) began her professional career at ONE Championship and became its inaugural atomweight world champion in May 2016. She did so by beating Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi at 19 years old, making her the youngest world champion in MMA.

She has then defended her title four times, with her latest defense against ONE strawweight world champion Xiong Jing Nan. Lee submitted the Chinese star in the fifth round via rear-naked choke.

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Angela Lee vs. Stamp Fairtex: A historic main event

Standing in the way of Angela Lee’s fifth title defense is Stamp Fairtex, who’s seeking her third world title in the promotion.

Stamp (8-1 in MMA, 63-17-5 in Muay Thai/kickboxing) is seeking to become a three-sport world champion in ONE Championship. She's previously held the Muay Thai and kickboxing atomweight belts simultaneously.

The Thai striker earned her shot at Lee’s title when she triumphed in the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix, submitting Indian wrestler Ritu Phogat via armbar in the tournament final last December.

Lee, meanwhile, is coming off a long break. Her victory over Xiong came in October 2019. She gave birth to her first-born daughter Ava Marie in early 2021.