I’ll knock her out, warns Angela Lee as ‘Unstoppable’ prepares for Mei Yamaguchi a second time
Singapore-based American is confident their latest clash will not go the distance although the Japanese veteran is also looking for a clear finish
Angela “Unstoppable” Lee has declared there’s only one way Friday night’s One Championship world atomweight title fight against Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi will be decided.
“Knockout,” was the 21-year-old’s prediction on Monday at the official launch of the One: Unstoppable Dreams fight week.
“We’re explosive fighters and the way we fight – and the way all the fighters on this card fight – it’s going to be a knockout kind of night.”
The main event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium is a rematch of the pair’s 2016 encounter, roundly considered one of the fights of that year – anywhere. The then 19-year-old Lee took a crunching right cross from Yamaguchi in the third round that sent her to the canvas but fought her way back tenaciously over the final two rounds to claim an unanimous decision – and history.
The victory made Lee the sport’s youngest ever world champion and she’s since established herself as the driving force behind MMA’s continued rise across the region, with two successful title defences in her record now of 8-0 and a wealth of commercial endorsements.
Watch: Angela Lee v Mei Yamaguchi at their last fight in May 2016
There has been a decent dose of drama, too, with an early morning accident back home in Hawaii last November derailing initial plans for Lee-Yamaguchi II. Lee walked away relatively unscathed – bruises and concussion the only worries – and has since the new year cut herself down into fighting condition, both in Hawaii and at Singapore’s Evolve MMA gym, out of which she fights.