Angela Lee Remains Dedicated To MMA Despite Her Retirement

Angela Lee’s dedication to MMA is still there following her recent retirement.

Lee decided to walk away from the sport this year as she opened up about her prior suicide attempt. The former atomweight champion was a rising star in One Championship before her struggles.

Lee’s Retirement

“I’m here today to officially announce my retirement. It has been an incredible eight years. I just want to say thank you to the fans, to ONE Championship, to Chatri (Sityodtong), to my teams, and to just everyone. There have been so many battles in and out of the cage,” Lee said

However, at the age of 21, Lee was getting ready to defend her atomweight title against Mei Yamaguchi. However, the apprehension of cutting weight became too much as Lee attempted everything to get out of the fight.

This included trying to break her arm, as well as driving her car off a cliff. While she did survive the ordeal, Lee later admitted that it was a suicide attempt after initially claiming that she fell asleep at the wheel.

Thereafter, Lee created a non-profit organization by the name of Fightstory with the aim of helping people, who were going through similar struggles.

Lee’s Legacy

“Fightstory is dedicated to speaking one’s truth, inspiring hope, and building a community for those struggling with mental health. It was created to bring healing, awareness, acceptance, and support for those battling through their darkest times, and for their loved ones as well. No battle needs to be walked alone,” Lee stated 

Despite that being the case, Lee’s passion for the sport still remains. She admitted that her desire to train is still there, given the fact she had been brought up with MMA.

In addition, there is always the possibility that Lee could later return to the sport provided that she is physically and mentally prepared. But in the meantime, it appears Lee is focused on staying in a good place.

Lee’s Passion

“Life is different now and for me, I still go into the gym and I’ll train but it’s for a different reason. It took me a while to see it in that way that I’m exercising for longevity, for my mental health, and not for a fight or a competition. Just to have that physical outlet, for that reason, that it’s an outlet. I hope to get back to a place where I can really love training like I once did. But I know there’s also many other things I could explore, and maybe find a new hobby or a new physical outlet but I definitely think that after all this time, and still martial arts and MMA will still be a big part of my life,” Lee stated

Lee’s legacy speaks for itself, given that she had managed to reach the pinnacle of the MMA field. And if she can manage to help others do the same, then that can only be a good thing moving forward.