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Exclusive interview: Angela Lee 'living the dream' as she leads new Asian MMA wave
The growing fame of Angela Lee, the diminutive 115b atomweight fighter from Hawaii in ONE Championship, the mixed martial arts organisation based in Asia, knows no bounds. The 20 year old is inspiring a generation of young women to take up mixed martial arts in that part of the world - just as Ronda Rousey did in the UFC when she was a shooting star four years ago.
Having grown up in a family of martial artists, Lee fights in Singapore this weekend looking to extend her unbeaten run of seven fights and defending her ONE Championship title for the second time against Brazilian contender Istela Nunes in the main event of ONE: Dynasty of Heroes on Friday.
It has been over a year since Lee entered into the annals of MMA history by defeating Japan’s veteran Mei Yamaguchi to capture the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship title.
At the time, Lee was just 19 when, after five grueling rounds, she exited the cage as the sport’s youngest-ever world champion, and the highest paid teenager in mixed martial arts.
Lee normally fights in front of 15,000 people, with the event will be broadcast live in 118 countries around the world-mostly free to Air TV. Lee also enjoys front page coverage on almost every newspaper in Asia and Hawaii. The South China Morning Post have had the diminutive fighter on their front page in the last week, along with the Straits Times.
Lee, speaking exclusively to Telegraph Sport explained that she is thrilled by the progress and interest in her career. "Definitely. It's crazy. For me to be able to do what I love as a professional career and travel the world and fight, it's really amazing. I couldn't ask for anything better," she explained. "I'm living the dream right now."
"I grew up learning a lot of different martial arts, and my parents were the ones who trained in tae kwan do. For me, of course being in the Olympics and competing on that kind of stage would have been be incredible, but mixed martial arts was really my passion. It was about being able to throw all my skills together. I did compete in some grappling tournaments and some kickboxing tournaments, but I never truly loved it like I loved MMA."
Lee is part of a new generation of hybrid fighters. "That's what's happened. The young MMA fighters now are party of this up and coming generation of fighters who are well versed in every single area of martial arts, not just specialising in one area. We use MMA as a whole."
Lee is part of a new wave in Asia with MMA, TV ratings and social media metrics having sky-rocketed in the last two years. Video views on Facebook for ONE Championship two years ago was at around 300,000 for the entire year. Last year it it was 130 million.
The fight league's owner, Chatri Sityodtong, businessman and martial artist himself and an intriguing character who made his fortune as a hedge fund manager on Wall Street and Silicon Valley, told Telegraph Sport. "We're probably going to cross half a billion this year, and the tv ratings have quadrupled in that time."
Sityodtong has a very strong message from his perspective. "The UFC has marketed itself very much as a sport. I would say One Championship is true martial arts. We are not about all those things. We are about showcasing inspiration. The life stories, the incredible adversity they had to overcome. We're story-telling our heroes lives so we can inspire billions of people in Asia to live a better life. We're trying to ignite Asia with inspiration and hope and strength for every day life. Not because we want everybody to become martial artists. Our sporting heroes often just become symbolic heroes for life. So that we can overcome our own adversities in life."
He insists, though, that he has "a tremendous respect for the UFC" and how it has worked in the western hemisphere. "I think this is the reason why One has thrived in Asia and the UFC has faltered there, precisely because our DNA connects with the Asian audience, 4 billion people. Our DNA is about kindness, humility, inspiration, about true martial arts. We are showcasing the true beauty of martial arts and the true power of martial arts. UFC focuses on end goal."
In Hawaii, as well as in Asia, Lee, meanwhile, has garnered serious fame. "In Hawaii there's so much support. It's really nice. Even though I was born in Canada, the majority of my childhood and growing up was in Hawaii. I feel very blessed by everyone there. It's crazy because with the time difference in Asia people have to stay up very very late or wake up very very early to watch my fights. I have a lot of support from the local news and everyone there. They stay up and watch me. It's getting bigger and bigger."
Lee has been called 'the new Ronda Rousey', or the 'Asian Ronda Rousey', which she sees as a benefit. "I take it as a compliment because she was a pioneer, bringing the women's divisions to UFC and north America," Lee told Telegraph Sport. "I appreciate it in that sense. But really I'm just looking to build my own brand and be my own fighter and see where that goes. Right now is a perfect time for me to expand women's MMA in Asia and this side of the world. It's growing very rapidly and I'm happy to be leading the way for that."
What is clear, though, moreover, is that Lee is making her mark with women in Asian society. "That's one of my goals, one of my long term goals. Of course I enjoy fighting and travelling but I want to do something bigger than just for me. I think that here in Asia you still do have that gender inequality and through martial arts and my own journey I can help inspire and empower more women on this side of the world and hopefully change that in the years to come."
"It's awesome because a lot of young girls are really opening their eyes to this whole new world. They realise they can go out there and do what I do – step in the cage and compete. Anything is possible. They can chase their dreams because I'm chasing mine." She certainly is - and is destined to be a huge star.
