Angela Lee all set for MMA debut
Canadian Lee is raring to fight in front of her friends and family at the Indoor Stadium
Tomorrow's fight has been 15 years in the making for Angela Lee.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has been a part of Lee's life since she was three and she practically grew up on the mat.
The Canadian is due to make her professional MMA debut tomorrow at the One: Warrior's Quest event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, organised by One Championship, Asia's largest mixed martial arts organisation.
The eldest of four children of MMA instructors - dad is Singapore-born Ken and mum is Korean Jewelz Lee - who are now based in Hawaii, she cannot wait to fight.
"I'm more than prepared. I've been training for four to five hours six days a week. Today I worked on some boxing, wrestling and Jiu Jitsu," said the 18-year-old University of Hawaii-West Oahu freshman, via a phone interview with The New Paper on Monday.
The 1.65m teenager who weighs 54kg will take on Egypt's Aya Saber in the Strawweight division tomorrow.
The Egyptian is not new to the MMA scene.
She has eight fights under her belt, with three wins and five losses.
Teenager Lee may be the underdog owing to her lack of professional experience, but the business administration undergraduate will go into battle full of belief.
"I have more than enough experience given the fact that I've been training and competing in MMA since I was three.
"My confidence stems from all the years I have dedicated to Mixed Martial Arts and self-defence.
"I've had a lot of training and experience for my age, even though this will be my professional debut," said Lee.
She owns two World Athlima Pangration Federation crowns, a state wrestling championship, and as well as an amateur MMA Strawweight title.
Born in Vancouver and bred in Hawaii, the fighter is proud to make her debut in Singapore, where she frequently visits and has many relatives and friends.
She said: "I might have grown up in Hawaii and Canada, but my blood is still Singaporean.
"It's who I am and I'm proud to be representing Singapore, in a sense, because of the ton of family and support I have there."
CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui, said of the teenager: "Angela is an exciting competitor and has tremendous experience under her belt as an amateur fighter. ONE Championship would be the perfect professional platform for this female MMA star to shine."
Angela's three other siblings are all into MMA as well.
AVERAGE DAY
An average day involves her picking up her siblings from school and spending four hours in the family-run United MMA gym in Hawaii where she spars with younger brother Christian, 16.
Lee remembers her father starting her in martial arts to ensure she could defend herself and believes more people should take it up.
"If everyone could learn just one thing, they should learn how to defend themselves," she said.
Angela is also one of the instructors in the family gym where she and her brother occasionally teach children.
Her debut at the Indoor Stadium tomorrow will be the start of what are lofty professional goals.
"My goal right now is to be the first woman's world champion from One FC," she said.
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