ONE Championship: Victoria Lee, 16, submits Sunisa Srisen in second round on debut at Fists of Fury
- Younger sister of ONE champs Angela and Christian makes perfect start to pro career with slick choke in Singapore
- ‘My dad said hit the reset button, and I did what I was supposed to do in the first round in the second,’ says ‘The Prodigy’
Victoria Lee got her ONE Championship career off to the perfect start with a slick submission of Sunisa Srisen at Fists of Fury in Singapore on Friday night.
The 16-year-old sister of ONE atomweight champ Angela Lee and lightweight champ Christian Lee, “The Prodigy” (1-0) secured a rear-naked choke at 1:03 of the second round in her first professional fight.
Lee’s famous siblings may not have been in her corner, given Covid-19 restrictions, and the fact Angela is seven months’ pregnant. But their parents flew with her from Hawaii, and father and coach Ken was in her corner.
Quite remarkable, then, that she looked a picture of calmness once the opening bell rang.
The only slip up came during her post-fight interview with commentator and analyst Mitch Chilson – for which she easily could be forgiven, amid the gravity of the occasion.
“Sorry, I forgot the question,” Lee said, as those in the crowd laughed warmly, after Chilson had asked her to discuss the finish.
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“Once I got her to the ground, I was just focusing on my base,” Lee said, after gathering her thoughts. “I got the hooks in. I saw her head pop up, so I went for the neck and just squeezed.”
With a strong grappling pedigree given her famous family’s roots in BJJ, Lee sprang a surprise by willingly trading shots with Sunisa in the first opening 30 seconds.
It wasn’t long before she took the back, however – midway through the first round – and looked for the rear-naked choke.
The 21-year-old Thai Sunisa (4-2) defended the hands, and Lee decided to change the game plan and rain down punches from the top as she looked to finish it in the first round.
“The Thunderstorm” managed to hang in there, though, and force a second round, but Lee came out even more aggressive.
After a brief exchange on the feet, she wasted no time and quickly took Sunisa’s back again, and this time secured the choke and the tap.
“No, things didn’t go according to plan,” Lee said. “I tried to finish it in the first round, however we just went back to the corner, and my dad said hit the reset button, and I did what I was supposed to do in the first round in the second.
“My first choice was to go for the ground and pound and finish, but when that wasn’t working, I went for the second fastest finish which was the submission.”
