One Championship: Angela Lee beat me up in training after I submitted her, says Michelle Nicolini
- Michelle Nicolini submitted Lee in 2016 grappling contest – then says she got a rough introduction to Muay Thai from ‘Unstoppable’ in Singapore
- ‘I was very new in the sport. After that I didn’t want to be friends,’ says the Brazilian, who faces Lee on July 12 in Kuala Lumpur
Angela Lee and Michelle Nicolini were once teammates. Now they’re bitter rivals and heading for a showdown in the One Championship Circle in Kuala Lumpur on July 12.
This won’t be their first meeting – Brazil’s Nicolini faced off against “Unstoppable” in a One Grappling Challenge bout in Macau in August 2016, just months after Lee had beaten Mei Yamaguchi to claim her atomweight title.
“I ended up getting a submission on her,” Nicolini said. “I don’t remember exactly, but I think I pulled guard, then I got the sweep. I remember I tried an armbar and she defended. The I attacked her foot and I got the toe hold.”
It was Nicolini who had her arm raised – and the next time she saw Lee after moving to Singapore to train at Evolve MMA, she got a frosty reception.
“On my first training session at Evolve, I went to my first Muay Thai training. She [Lee] was already famous and everything. I thought we could be friends,” Nicolini said.
