ONE Championship: Angela Lee passes the torch to Stamp Fairtex, saying ‘I didn’t have the heart for it any more’
- Former champ ‘proud’ to hand her successor Stamp the atomweight MMA title after calling it quits following death of 18-year-old sister
- CEO Chatri admits ‘without a doubt, Angela was the face of ONE’ but says Stamp is now ‘greatest female combat athlete on the planet’
Embracing her successor in the Circle, it was a symbolic gesture for Angela Lee to hand Stamp Fairtex the belt after her stunning ONE Fight Night 14 title win.
Stamp became the new undisputed – not interim – atomweight MMA champ in ONE Championship with a third-round body shot KO of Ham Seo-hee at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Moments before the main event, the former champ Lee had laid down her belt on the canvas, confirming her retirement and vacating the title she never lost since becoming the division’s inaugural queen in 2016.
She had been sitting cageside for the whole show, but insisted she “didn’t have that feeling” of wanting to fight again after seeing the action up close.
“No, for me it was a proud moment, I guess,” Lee told reporters backstage. “I couldn’t have chosen two better fighters to carry on the division.”
The Singapore Indoor Stadium was a fitting venue for Lee’s final act in the cage, the place she made her debut in 2015 and won the title in 2016, and where she defended it multiple times.
“Everything about this trip has just come full circle for me,” Lee added. “This is the right decision and I know it in my heart as well.”
Angela Lee retires from MMA, vacates ONE Championship belt
The 27-year-old – who went 11-3 in professional MMA – even joined the commentary booth for the headliner, but admitted she was unsure if calling fights could become a full-time gig.
“I don’t know. I got so engaged in the fight that I forget to speak,” she said, laughing. “They’re trying to talk to me and I’m just like focusing on the action. But we’ll see, who knows.”
What Lee will be working on for sure is her new non-profit mental health organisation, Fightstory, which aims to “help save lives”.
Lee decided to retire after her 18-year-old sister and fellow ONE fighter Victoria Lee took her own life last December.
“With everything that’s happened, and after losing Victoria, just too many things have changed and I just didn’t have the heart for it any more, honestly,” she said.
“Even training I couldn’t think about because she was my main training partner, so I know that this is the right decision and I’m just closing the door on this chapter and I’m ready to open this next chapter, which is Fightstory.”
ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, who will be on the board of directors at Fightstory, paid tribute to the former poster girl of his organisation.
“Without a doubt, Angela was the face of ONE for many years as arguably the greatest pound-for-pound female world champion on the planet of any organisation,” Chatri told the Post after ONE Fight Night 14.
“Her contributions were immense as an athlete to ONE Championship’s growth and brand. I personally look forward to continuing our work together as I join the board of Fightstory to help push forward its sacred mission of saving lives.”
Stamp now appears to be ready to take over Lee’s mantle as the golden goose of MMA in ONE Championship – she will earn a reported 10 million baht (US$271,000) fight purse going forward, just like flyweight Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
Now the first three-sport champion in ONE, having also previously held the Muay Thai and kickboxing titles at atomweight, Chatri did not hold back in his praise for Stamp as “the greatest female combat sports athlete on the planet”.
“I feel like today is my big day, today is the day Angela wanted to pass on her belt to me,” said Stamp, who was submitted by Lee in her first attempt to win the belt at the same venue in March 2022.
“I feel very happy and over the moon, at the same time I feel very sad as well, a bit blue that she is leaving. However, I support her in whatever she decides to do next.
“I think Fightstory is very nice because sometimes when you are stressed, you don’t know who to talk to, who you can trust or who you can share with. Sometimes you just need someone to sit next to you, sharing that burden.
“If there’s a chance in the future for a collaboration with Angela regarding Fightstory, I would love to share that because I know exactly the pressure and stress you experience as a fighter.”
