Mixed martial arts star Victoria Lee dead at 18

Victoria Lee, a rising mixed martial arts star and the younger sister of current ONE Championship champions Angela Lee and Christian Lee, died Dec. 26. She was 18.

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Lee’s death was announced on Angela Lee’s personal Instagram account on Saturday morning, KHON-TV reported. No official cause of death has been given.

“She has gone too soon and our family has been completely devastated since then,” Angela Lee, ONE’s atomweight MMA champion, wrote in her post. “We miss her. More than anything in this world. Our family will never be the same. Life will never be the same.”

Angela Lee has successfully defended her title five times since winning it in 2016, according to Bleacher Report. Christian Lee is the organization’s lightweight and welterweight champion, according to the sports news outlet.

Victoria Lee won a Hawaii state championship in 2020 as a wrestler at Mililani High School at 117 pounds, KHON reported. She also was a two-time Hawaiian pankration junior world champion and an IMMAF junior world champion, according to USA Today.

She signed her first professional mixed martial arts contract in 2020 when she was 16, joining her two older siblings at ONE, KHON reported.

Victoria Lee went 3-0 as a pro, winning all of her matches in 2021. Her next bout was scheduled for Jan. 14 against Zeba Bano at ONE at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, according to the television station.

ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong wrote in Facebook post that he was “heartbroken” by Lee’s death, noting that he first met her when she was 11.

“I watched her blossom over the years as a martial artist and a human being. I always remember thinking how wise, thoughtful, and selfless she was beyond her years,” Sityodtong wrote. “Of course, she was an extraordinary martial arts prodigy even back then, but I could see that she was so much more than that.

“Victoria had the purest heart of gold and a brilliant mind. She looked after others before herself. She wanted to use her life to help the world.”

According to an obituary posted by Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Kanahe, Hawaii, a celebration of life has been scheduled for Jan. 22, USA Today reported.

Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via the Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.

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