S’pore-American MMA Fighter Victoria Lee Dies at 18

The death of Singapore-American MMA fighter Victoria Lee was announced publicly in an obituary by the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and Funeral Homes in Kaneohe on 6 January 2023. 

Shortly after, her sister, ONE’s Atomweight MMA Champion Angela Lee, confirmed her death. 

Lee was only 18 when she died.

She passed away in Hawaii on 26 December 2022. The cause of her death has not been revealed to the public.

A celebration of her life will be held on 22 January 2023.

Victoria Lee’s Legacy

Lee was only 16 when she made her MMA debut in February 2021. 

Her opponent was Sunisa “Thunderstorm” Srisen, a rising star who had already fought professionally five times and only lost once. 

Despite this, she managed to beat Srisen in the second round.

In July 2021, she beat China’s Wang Luping in under four minutes.

Two months later, she defeated Brazil’s Victoria Souza by first-round technical knockout (TKO).

She was slated to compete in her fourth professional fight at ONE on Prime Video 6 on 14 January in Bangkok. She was supposed to go against India’s Zeba Bano.

Grew Up with Martial Arts

Lee grew up in the world of martial arts.

Her father, Ken Lee, is a two-time championship coach.

Moreover, her older siblings, Angela and Christian Lee, are ONE World Champions.

Her brother Christian had even claimed the Welterweight title in November 2022.

She called her older siblings her biggest role models in an interview with MMA Fighting.

Though young and under immense pressure, Lee continued her family’s legacy.

She grew up training in martial arts, coached by her father and mother at the family’s gym, United MMA.

Even before her MMA debut, she had claimed the 2019 International Mixed Martial Arts Federation Junior World Championship, two Pankration Junior World Championships, and a 2019 Hawaii State Wrestling Championship.

Juggling school, training, and a nasty bout of food poisoning right before her debut, Lee still managed to push through her first professional fight. 

Nicknamed “The Prodigy”, Angela called Lee “a younger, faster version” of herself in an interview with ONE Championship. 

She even predicted that her younger sister would be more accomplished than her. 

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Condolences 

In an Instagram post, Angela Lee wrote, “She was gone too soon and our family has been completely devastated since then.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Angela Lee Pucci (@angelaleemma)

She added, “We miss her. More than anything in this world. Our family will never be the same.”

“Victoria was the most beautiful soul who ever lived.”

The family has asked for respect in this challenging period.

She also advised, “And please, check on your loved ones. Keep checking on them. Give them hugs and tell them how much they mean to you. You just never know.”

The news has left the ONE Championship world in shock.

Former two-division MMA Champion Aung La Nsang commented, “This cannot be real. I am so sorry to hear that. Condolences to the Lee family.”

Image: Instagram (@aunglansang)

Former UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway also expressed his condolences, “Sending love to the family.”

Image: Instagram (@blessedmma)

Others have also commented their sympathies on the Instagram post.

Image: Instagram (@_edwardarndt)
Image: Instagram (@pieteruist)

Lee’s last post on her own Instagram account was dedicated to her younger brother Adrian Lee, who had just won an amateur MMA title in Hilo, Hawaii, on 18 December 2022.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Victoria Lee (@victorialee.mma)

She wrote, “Super proud of my little bro for winning the Toughman Pankration World Title.”

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Featured Image: Mmafighting.com