MMA: Angela Lee bids to become youngest world champion at May 6 fight in Singapore

Angela Lee (right) will take on Japan's Mei Yamaguchi (left) for ONE Championship's first-ever women's title fight on May 6, 2016. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER
Angela Lee (right) will take on Japan's Mei Yamaguchi (left) for ONE Championship's first-ever women's title fight on May 6, 2016. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER

SINGAPORE - Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Angela Lee will be putting her perfect 5-0 record on the line on May 6 when she takes on Japan's Mei Yamaguchi for the inaugural One women's atomweight world championship.

The 19-year-old Evolve Fight Team member, nicknamed "Unstoppable Lee", lines up at the Ascent to Power event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, where she made her professional debut last May.

Lee was born in Vancouver and raised in Hawaii. Her father, Ken, was born in Singapore and Angela is based in the Republic.

The teenager is bidding to become the youngest world champion. That record is held by American Jon Jones, who won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight belt in 2011 when he was 23 years and eight months.

Lee said: "I really cannot contain my excitement. I believe that it is my destiny to become a world champion. I have trained for this my entire life and now it's time to make history."

But she will face a stiff challenge from her more experienced opponent. MMA veteran Yamaguchi, 33, holds record of 15 wins, eight losses and one draw, and she has won her last three bouts, two by knockout.

Lee is unfazed and said: "This is undoubtedly the biggest fight of my career... Winning the title in Singapore and becoming their first world champion will be a dream come true for me.

"I'm not just winning this belt for myself. I'm winning it for my family, friends, teams, and everyone who supports me. When I started training in martial arts, my goal was to eventually work my way to the top to become an MMA world champion."

Her coach at Evolve Heath Sims noted: "I am really proud of Angela's accomplishments since making her MMA debut. She has taken the MMA world by storm with her impressive victories and she has undoubtedly earned herself a shot at the inaugural title.

"Her skills have continuously been improving with each training session and most importantly, she has the perfect mindset and determination to be a world champion.

"Angela already has an amazing set of skills inside the cage and it's easy for everyone to forget that she's just 19."

Lee's younger brother Christian, 17, will face Filipino Cary Bullos while Singapore's Benedict Ang, 19, a fellow Evolve member, squares off against Filipino Jimmy Yabo.

In the main event, Russian Vitaly Bigdash defends his One middleweight world championship title against compatriot Aleksei Butorin.

Tickets are available at sportshub.com.sg/sportshubtix

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