ONE Championship: Victoria Lee ‘can’t accept’ Angela Lee saying 16-year-old sister better at same age
- ‘The Prodigy’ makes her professional MMA debut at Fists of Fury on February 26 in Singapore
- ‘I do have some big shoes to fill,’ says Victoria, whose older brother Christian also holds ONE gold
When Victoria Lee signed with ONE Championship last September, Angela Lee said her 16-year-old sister is actually better than she was at the same age.
The latest siblingfrom the family production line out of their United MMA gym in Hawaii under the guidance of dad Ken, Victoria will finally make her debut at ONE: Fists of Fury in Singapore on February 26.
It was some praise coming from “Unstoppable” (10-2), ONE’s atomweight champion, who became the youngest woman to win a world title aged 20 in 2016. But “The Prodigy” was humble in response.
“No way, no way,” Victoria told SCMP MMA. “My sister, she’s very … no. She’s way better than me, I can’t accept that.”
Victoria will open up next Friday’s stacked card against Sunisa “Thunderstorm” Srisen (4-1). The Thai is 1-1 in the Asian martial arts promotion, losing her debut to Stamp Fairtex (5-1) but beating Rika Ishige (4-4) last September.
“I’m feeling the nerves but mainly I’m excited to go,” Lee said. “I’ve watched her [Srisen’s] matches and she’s a tough opponent. She seems to have an aggressive fighting style and strong judo, but I believe I’m deeper in every aspect of the game. This fight will really show where I am in the atomweight roster.”
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It’s the same division ruled by her elder sister, but Angela is on the sidelines preparing to give birth to her first child in April, with an as-yet unconfirmed atomweight grand prix set to determine the 24-year-old’s next challenger.
“My sister’s already itching to get back on the mats, as you can see in some of her videos,” Victoria said. “She’s trying to hit mitts and stuff. I don’t think it’ll be too long after the baby’s born, she’ll be back on the mats.
“As the champion, of course, she’s keeping an eye on the division right now. She’s just focusing on taking care of her baby, preparing her to come into this world. I think after this tournament it will produce a true No 1 contender for this belt.”
It’s not just Angela who is expecting her first child – so is brother Christian “The Warrior” Lee (14-3), ONE’s lightweight champion. And it’s not too far out of the realm of possibility to picture a second generation from the Lee clan holding ONE gold.
“I cannot wait to meet my first nieces, it’s gonna be so crazy to have some babies running around and before you know it they’re gonna be on the mats with us,” said Lee, who also has a 14-year-old brother, Adrian, who has won world titles at youth level.
“We started pretty early at around four or five years old. All of our goals are to one day become a world champion,” she added.
Both her parents will be going with her to Singapore, but it is just father and coach Ken who will be cornering her cageside, given the tight coronavirus restrictions. Still, Lee will surely have a wealth of virtual advice on offer from her elder siblings throughout fight week.
“I’m so lucky to have both of them, they offer me so much valuable advice on techniques and training,” Victoria said. “I know I can always go to them and they always have the right answer because they’ve been in my shoes before.
“I do have some big shoes to fill,” she added.
Some have questioned whether it is too soon for Lee to be making the jump up to the professional ranks, but she gives her critics short shrift.
“To the people who say that I’m too young, I train with my family and my team every day and they’re the only ones who matter,” Victoria said. “I trust in them to let me know that I’m ready to take this next step up and compete professionally.
“I feel like I’m so lucky to have had all of these opportunities and I’m just excited to start my journey as a professional fighter. Honestly, this is a surreal experience.
“I can’t believe I’m gonna be flying out in two days already, but I’m just enjoying the whole journey and this is gonna be a great year for our family.”
