She bears the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s the face of a global mecca – ONE Championship – and has millions of fans worldwide. Yet, Singapore sensation Angela Lee remains grounded.
At 22 years of age, Lee is a humble champion. How, you might ask? Because long before she pulled on the gloves as a martial artist, the undisputed ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion was a role model.
At home, as one of four siblings, was where she developed her craft. With a younger sister and two younger brothers, including ONE Championship featherweight contender Christian “The Warrior” Lee, Angela set the example. And she has done so since childhood. It is a big responsibility, but it is one that she has taken in her stride.
“I never really thought of it that way, but I guess it is something that really came naturally,” Angela said in an official interview with ONE Championship.
“Being the oldest of four [children], I’ve always been my parents’ helper, and I always helped to take care of the kids. My parents always told me to set the example, so it does correlate into my career.
“I know I can’t be going out and making a fool out of myself on my social media and partying. That’s not really part of my personality anyway, but I know there’s a lot of people out there [looking up to me].
“This responsibility is something I embrace, and I want to do the best out of it that I can. I’m always looking for ways to help people. If I can ever do work outside of the cage, I always try to do it because that’s what I feel I was put here to do, and I love it.”
A tight-knit family, Angela considers her brothers and sister to be her good friends, not just her siblings. The bond is particularly close between Angela and Christian.
Just two years apart, the pair were perfect training partners as they developed in the world of martial arts. They remain ultra close today, as evidenced by Angela’s decision to sit in Christian’s corner for his featherweight world title bout against Australian Martin Nguyen back in May in Singapore, just minutes before she defended her atomweight crown against Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi.
“Christian and I, we are so tight,” Angela said.
“We’re only two years apart, so we practically grew up side-by-side.
“It’s crazy. It’s so cool to be on the same path together and to go through the same things.
“The amount of time that we’ve spent with each other growing up is kind of abnormal compared to normal siblings, so we have a really special bond.
“Just being alongside Christian has taught me so much – to be a better martial artist, to be a better person. When I go out there and I train and I do my thing, I’m always trying to set a good example.”
One of the secrets to Angela and Christian’s success is they keep each other grounded.
“We talk about it a lot – not to lose ourselves in all of this fame and this limelight of being a professional fighter. It helps to have your family around you to stay grounded,” Angela explained.
“With Christian, that’s one thing I always talk about with him. One day, he’s going to be a great champion and he’s still going to be his kind, sweet self. That’s why it is so important to keep that relationship close and be able to speak into each other’s lives and receive [advice] from each other.”
In their family, martial arts education has been handed down from generation to generation, and the atomweight queen helps to teach her siblings alongside her parents. However, it is also a two-way street.
“We’re constantly learning from each other. It’s the coolest thing,” Angela said.
“Just this morning, we finished practice, and I said, ‘Hey Christian, look at this cool thing I found. You can do this position from here.’ He was like, ‘Angela, I found that out last month and I showed you, too.’
“We’re so in sync, and we’re so on the same page that we’re always discovering new techniques and wanting to share it with each other.”
Angela will again put it all on the line at ONE: HEART OF THE LION at Singapore Indoor Stadium on November 9. Only this time, the atomweight queen will battle Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE Strawweight World Championship.
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