ONE Championship: Chatri says stripping pregnant Angela Lee of atomweight title would be ‘unfathomable’

ONE chairman confirms Lee won’t be asked to vacate her atomweight belt, despite calls from No 1 contender Denice Zamboanga

‘It is not right to take away someone’s greatest achievement earned through a lifetime of sacrifice and hard work,’ says Chatri

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Angela Lee faces off with Xiong Jingnan ahead of ONE: Century in Tokyo. Photo: ONE Championship

Published: 2:41pm, 9 Oct 2020Updated: 11:17am, 10 Oct 2020

ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has confirmed Angela Lee will not be stripped of her atomweight title or asked to vacate.

The 24-year-old Lee (10-2) announced last week she is pregnant and set to give birth in April, 2021. She told SCMP MMA she will return late next year to fight the winner of the eight-woman atomweight grand prix championship tournament.

But No 1-ranked atomweight contender Denice Zamboanga called on “Unstoppable” to “do the right thing” and vacate her belt so as not to hold up the division, sparking a war of words on social media between them this week.

“For me, there are only a few reasons that an athlete should be stripped and/or be asked to vacate his/her world title: cheating, unwillingness to defend, criminal activity, or retirement,” Chatri wrote in a Facebook post.

“Any other reason would be unfathomable. It is not right to take away someone’s greatest achievement earned through a lifetime of sacrifice and hard work.