“There's so many other things out there” – Angela Lee details how she’s adjusting to her MMA retirement

Three months after calling it a career in MMA, former ONE atomweight world champion Angela Lee said she is still in the process of adjustment but is nonetheless excited to learn more about life away from competition.

‘The Unstoppable’ made her retirement official at the age of 27 last September to begin the next phase of her life. Prior to that, however, she was on a self-imposed break to mourn the tragic passing of her younger sister and fellow ONE fighter Victoria, 18, who took her own life in December 2022.

In an interview with the Keep It Aloha podcast, Lee shared that she is continuously training even in retirement but more for health reasons just as she is exploring other activities to keep herself busy. She said:

“Now that I've retired from fighting, it's been really hard for me to adjust and just train or exercise just for my well-being for my mental health. So I've been trying to find a new hobby or a new thing. I still love training, I really do but I'm like there's so many other things out there. But yeah, just trying to find that healthy lifestyle and exercising for other reasons.”

Check out what she had to say below:

Angela Lee became the ONE atomweight MMA world champion in 2016 and defended the title five times. She finished her ONE career with a 11-3 record.

Angela Lee committed to work for her non-profit Fightstory

On announcing her retirement from MMA, Angela Lee said that among the things she would be busy with was working on her newly formed non-profit Fightstory.

The organization is aimed at helping people struggling with mental health, including Lee herself. It is also to honor the memory of her younger sister and fellow ONE fighter Victoria, who took her own life at the age of 18.

The former ONE atomweight MMA world champion said reception for the non-profit has been overwhelming so far, inspiring them to maintain the mission they have set for it. In an interview with ESPN MMA last October, she said:

“For me, it's been a crazy journey and I have nothing but love for the sport and for ONE Championship for MMA. But I'm going to be redirecting my energy to Fightstory, the non-profit that I've created. And yeah, I’m gonna be looking to carry on the fight outside of the cage. I'm ready for this change.”

Watch the interview below: