MMA star Angela Lee eyeing 2017 title defence

SINGAPORE — Angela Lee’s right forearm bears a tattoo of a manual stopwatch surrounded by peonies and lotuses, her favourite flowers.

The hands of the watch indicate that it is 11:17.05pm. The date: May 6, 2016.

It is no surprise that the 20-year-old had wanted to ink that exact moment in time on her arm and keep it as a permanent memory.

After all, that was when Lee achieved the biggest triumph of her fledgling Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) career to date: Winning the ONE Championship women’s atomweight world champion.

Lee defeated Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi via unanimous decision for the title, and the feat made her the youngest world champion in a major global MMA organisation.

Half a year on, it is clear from the way her face lights up when Lee talks about it that the memory of her triumph is still fresh in her mind.

“The fight was my biggest challenge of my career so far, and there was so much pressure and build-up for the bout that I felt nervous before it started,” said Lee, a Canadian-American citizen of Singaporean-Korean ethnicity.

“But I was able to work through all of that and managed to overcome the challenge.

“And when I saw someone’s picture of me being crowned champion, with his watch displaying the time in the foreground of the photo, it inspired and motivated me even more.

“It was always a dream of mine to be a world champion and when I went back to Hawaii a month later, I got a tattoo of the stopwatch so that I can carry this moment with me forever.”

But being a champion is also about moving on, and the 1.62m-tall fighter is already looking forward to her next big challenge in her MMA journey: Defending her world title.

ONE Championship has yet to decide which event Lee will fight in next, or her next opponent. But whoever she faces next, be warned. Lee will do all she can to hold onto her world title.

“This was a big year for me but, next year, I intend to solidify my status as a world champion,” said Lee, whose younger brother Christian is also an up-and-coming MMA fighter.

“I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am, I definitely don’t want to lose it. I am just as hungry defending the title as I was fighting for it.

“I know a lot of people find it hard to hold on to their titles, and it is definitely different when you’re the champion and other people are gunning for you.

“That’s why the first title defence will be the most crucial. Being successful in that would give me confidence. So I’ll be working very hard to ensure that happens.”

Outside the cage, life has not been the same for the Hawaii-based Lee since her triumph.

As one of the most recognisable and popular faces of ONE Championship, she has been involved in numerous marketing, promotional and media events for the MMA promoter.

Although Lee admitted that it has been “exhausting” for her, she is taking it all in her stride. “Fighting in the cage is just a small portion of the job,” said the fighter, who trains at Evolve MMA Gym whenever she is in Singapore. “There are still many engagements and things we have to do to promote the sport.

“Of course I would love to focus on fighting, but it would be selfish to do just that. It’s give and take, and I feel it’s my duty to give back to the sport that has given so much to me.”

Indeed, one of Lee’s goals for 2017 is to inspire more women to take up MMA.

“There are three things I hope to see next year: Defending my title successfully, my brother (Christian) getting a title shot and, finally, more fighters coming up in the women’s division,” she said.

“I hope my becoming the first female world title holder in ONE Championship will open more doors for female fighters, and show them that they can do anything if they put their minds to it.

“For myself, there’s so much more room to grow and so much more to accomplish, because my ultimate goal is to be remembered as a legend in the sport.”