“She’s better off doing this” – Angela Lee says parents knew she was destined for martial arts success from a young age

From an early age, Angela Lee’s parents knew that martial arts would be her path to success in life.

In the 20 years since she first began training, Lee has established herself as one of the most successful female mixed martial artists in the sport's history, claiming the inaugural ONE atomweight world championship when she was 19 years old.

During her iconic run, the ‘Unstoppable’ world champion defended the title five times and twice moved up to compete for the strawweight world title.

Speaking about her history in combat sports, Lee revealed that from a very young age, her parents could see that martial arts would be her calling.

“I think they could already see that my path was not through academics, like it was never something like martial arts, which fuelled my fire,” Lee said on The Aloha Hour. “I was always brought out when I was on the mats and I think you know they were like, ‘Yeah she's better off doing this.’”

After amassing 11 victories and an incredible 82 percent finish rate, including eight wins by submission, Angela Lee laid down her 26 pounds of gold at ONE Fight Night 14 in September, announcing her retirement after nearly a decade of dominance.

Moving on from MMA, Angela Lee will now focus on FightStory, a non-profit mental health organization established as a way to pay tribute to her late sister, Victoria Lee, who tragically passed away in late 2022.

To learn more about FightStory and how you can be part of the fight, go to FightStory.org or visit the organization’s official Instagram.

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 14 replay can be watched anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.