‘A lot of UFC fighters like to talk a lot’: One Championship queen Angela Lee comes out swinging ahead of Mei Yamaguchi renewal
Lee looking to reassert her dominance against Japanese, as Ben Askren looks to bow out with win over MMA legend
Just watch me world.
“I’m young and I’m healthy and I’m improving,” declared the unbeaten 21-year-old. “There’s no one that’s going to stop me.”
Watch: Angela Lee defeats Mei Yamaguchi in their last fight
“To be honest it doesn’t bother me too much because I have complete confidence in myself and knowing what I’m capable of as a fighter,” said Lee. “I think a lot of the UFC fighters like to talk a lot, but if you were to put us inside the cage it would be a different story.”
It has been lost on no one that the date of the event comes a day before the Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its long-awaited debut in mainland China with a card in Shanghai but One’s chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong – who joined the four fighters in a conference call – claimed the dates were merely “coincidence”.
“We don’t build our business around what our competitors are doing,” he said.
Regardless of any rivalries, the trump card One have in their pack is the wildly popular Lee, who lives in Hawaii but fights out of the Evolve MMA gym in Singapore, where her father was born.
Lee will be defending her crown for the third time this year and will be up against the 34-year-old Yamaguchi, the only fighter to so far have really tested her resolve.
Lee created history as the MMA’s youngest ever world champion when she took a unanimous decision over Yamaguchi in their title bout in Singapore in May last year. But she had to pick herself off the canvas – literally – a number of times throughout a five-round slugfest that was for many the fight of the year, globally, on the female side of the sport.
“This is a great opportunity for me to do it right,” said Lee. “The last fight, I had never experienced that before and it was the biggest fight of my life. This time I am looking to step into the cage with complete confidence. This time it won’t go to a decision. I’m looking to showcase my new skills. My training has been better than ever. ”
Yamaguchi was last seen in action in June, brushing aside Taiwan’s Jenny Huang (5-2).
“The last match was my first time with One and I wasn’t really used to the environment.
Now I am used to it and this time I am really prepared, 100 per cent,” said Yamaguchi.
The One boss left the door open to possible match-up between Askren and a fighter from the UFC at some stage, although the American has previously said he wouldn’t fight current UFC middleweight champ Tyron Woodley due to the fact that he is a close friend.
That remains a prospect to watch but in the meantime a cushy office job with One beckons for the fighter who has quite simply run out of opponents. He conquered the Bellator promotion back home, before dominating anyone thrown at him out this way.
In the 34-year-old Aoki, he’ll face one of the MMA’s great grapplers and a fighter who has matched it with the best over a 14-year career that has included titles with One, along with Japan’s Dream and Shooto promotions. It’ll be a fitting way to walk away, said Askren.
“He’s the biggest name [I’ve faced],” said Askren. “I want to finish my MMA career right.”