Angela Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Angela Lee
Lee in 2022
Born	Angela Seung Ju Lee (1996-07-08) July 8, 1996 (age 29) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Native name	李胜珠 (Li Shengzhu) 이승주 (Lee Seung-ju)
Nickname(s)	Unstoppable
Residence	Waipahu, Hawaii Singapore
Nationality	American and Canadian
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight	124 lb (56.2 kg; 8.9 st)
Division	Atomweight Strawweight
Reach	67 in (170 cm)
Style	Pankration, Taekwondo, BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Tanjong Katong, Singapore
Team	Evolve MMA United MMA
Rank	1st degree black belt in Taekwondo Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Mike Fowler and Ken Lee
Years active	2015–2023
Mixed martial arts record
Total	14
Wins	11
By knockout	1
By submission	8
By decision	2
Losses	3
By knockout	1
By decision	2
Spouse	Bruno Pucci ​ (m. 2018)​
Notable relatives	Christian Lee (brother) Victoria Lee (sister)
Medal record Representing  United States Pankration WAPF World Pankration Champion Gold 2012 Laconia, Greece –58 kg (Semi) Gold 2012 Laconia, Greece –58 kg (Full) Folkstyle Wrestling HHSAA Wrestling Circuit Gold 2013 Hawaii, U.S. –121 lb

Angela Seung Ju Pucci (born July 8, 1996), also known as Angela Lee Pucci, is a Canadian-born American who used to be a professional mixed martial artist. She was also a strong supporter of mental health awareness in combat sports. Angela competed in the atomweight and strawweight divisions of ONE Championship. She was the very first ONE Atomweight World Champion.

Angela Lee was amazing in the atomweight division, never losing a fight there. She successfully defended her championship title five times. She held the title for over seven years, which is the longest time anyone has held a championship in ONE history! In September 2023, she decided to retire from the sport.

On May 5, 2016, Angela made history. She became the youngest person ever to win a world title in MMA. She was only 19 years old and 9 months when she beat Mei Yamaguchi to win the first ONE Atomweight World Championship. Later, her younger brother Christian Lee also became a world champion in May 2019. This made them the first brother-sister pair to both be world champions in mixed martial arts.

After a very sad time for her family, Angela announced her retirement from MMA. This happened at ONE Fight Night 14 on September 30, 2023.

Angela Lee's Early Life and Family

Angela Lee was born in Vancouver, Canada. Her father, Ken Lee, is Chinese-Singaporean, and her mother, Jewelz Lee, was born in South Korea. When Angela was 7, her family moved to Hawaii. Both of her parents are martial artists, so Angela started training at a very young age. She began competing when she was just 6 years old.

Angela's younger brother, Christian, is also a famous MMA fighter. Her other younger brother, Adrian, also trains in martial arts. Angela had a younger sister named Victoria, who was also a mixed martial artist with ONE Championship. Sadly, Victoria passed away in 2022 when she was 18 years old.

In 2011, Angela won her division at the USA Amateur pankration national championships. The next year, she won her division at the World Pangration Athlima Federation world championships in Greece. Angela earned her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt on February 9, 2018. She received it from Mike Fowler, a third-degree black belt, and her father, Ken Lee, who is also a black belt.

Angela Lee's Mixed Martial Arts Journey

In 2014, Angela Lee had her first amateur fight. In November of that year, she won an amateur title. She beat Audrey Perkins at Destiny MMA: Na Koa 7 in Honolulu. This made her the Destiny MMA strawweight champion.

Joining ONE Championship

Angela Lee signed with ONE Championship in 2014. Her first fight with them was at ONE Championship 28: Warrior's Quest on May 22, 2015. She won by using an armbar move against Aya Saber in the first round. She competes under the flag of Singapore.

After this win, Angela left college in Hawaii, where she was studying business. She moved to Singapore to train with Evolve MMA. In her next fight, she won against Mona Samir using a rear naked choke hold. This happened at ONE Championship: Odyssey of Champions on September 27, 2015.

Angela's third professional fight was at ONE Championship 33: Pride of Lions on November 13, 2015. She won by using a special move called a twister against Natalie Gonzales Hills. This was in the first round and was called a possible "submission of the year." She later won the 2015 WMMA Press Award for Submission of the Year.

Her next fight was against Lena Tkhorevska at ONE Championship 36: Spirit of Champions on December 11, 2015. Angela won in the second round with a rear naked choke. Angela's first fight of 2016 was against Rebecca Heintzman at ONE Championship 39: Tribe of Warriors on February 20, 2016. She won in the second round with a neck crank.

Becoming a World Champion

Because she won her first five fights by submitting her opponents, Angela got a chance to fight for the first ONE Championship Atomweight Women's Title. She faced Japanese fighter Mei Yamaguchi at ONE Championship 42: Ascent to Power on May 6, 2016. If she won, she would become the youngest MMA world champion ever.

Angela won the fight by a unanimous decision. This made her the first ONE Women's Atomweight Champion. She also received a bonus for her great performance. Many people in the MMA world said her fight with Yamaguchi was one of the best fights of the year. After this, she signed a new contract with ONE Championship. Some people thought her new contract made her the highest-paid teenager in MMA history.

On March 11, 2017, Angela Lee successfully defended her Atomweight World Championship title against Jenny Huang from Taiwan. On May 27, 2017, she defended her title for the second time against Istela Nunes from Brazil.

Challenges and Retirement

On November 8, 2017, Chatri Sityodtong announced that Angela Lee was in a serious car accident. Angela later shared in 2023 that this accident was actually a very difficult time for her. She survived the incident with a concussion and minor burns. Her fight with Mei Yamaguchi, which was planned for November 24, was moved to May 18, 2018. This fight took place at ONE Championship Unstoppable Dreams in Singapore. Angela won by unanimous decision.

Angela was supposed to fight the strawweight champion Jingnan Xiong on November 9, 2018. She hoped to become the first female champion in two different weight divisions in ONE Championship. However, on November 5, 2018, Angela said she had to pull out of the fight because of a back injury. The fight eventually happened on March 31, 2019, at ONE Championship 90: A New Era. Angela lost this fight in the fifth round, which ended her undefeated streak.

At ONE Championship 96: Masters of Destiny, Angela Lee lost another fight to Michelle Nicolini by unanimous decision.

Angela then defended her ONE Atomweight Championship against Xiong Jingnan on October 13, 2019. This was at ONE Championship 100: Century. She won the fight by submission in the fifth round.

After taking time off for pregnancy, Angela returned to defend her Atomweight title. She fought Stamp Fairtex at ONE 155: X on March 26, 2022. She had a tough start in the first round but won the fight by submission in the second round. In April 2022, Fight Matrix ranked Angela Lee as the #12 female strawweight fighter in the world.

Angela challenged Xiong Jingnan again for the ONE Women's Strawweight Championship at ONE on Prime Video 2 on September 30, 2022. She lost this fight by unanimous decision.

At ONE Fight Night 14 on September 30, 2023, Angela Lee announced that she was retiring from mixed martial arts. She also gave up her championship title. She explained that it was very difficult to continue fighting because her whole family, including her sister, were fighters, and her dad was their coach. Because everything was so connected, it was hard for her to keep going. As a result, the fight between Stamp Fairtex and Ham Seo-hee at the event became the fight for the vacant title.

Angela Lee's Personal Life and Advocacy

Angela Lee has both American and Canadian citizenship. She is married to another mixed martial artist, Bruno Pucci. On October 1, 2020, Angela announced on social media that she was expecting a baby. She gave birth to a daughter in April 2021.

Angela and her husband are head coaches at United BJJ Hawaii. This is a gym they started in 2021. The opening of their gym was delayed for a few days because of some damage that happened just before they were supposed to open.

Angela's younger brother Christian is a very successful fighter. He is the current ONE Lightweight World Champion and ONE Welterweight World Champion. Her youngest sibling, Victoria, had her first successful MMA fight when she was 16 years old on February 26, 2021. On January 7, 2023, Angela shared on Instagram that Victoria had passed away on December 26, 2022. The Lee family closed their family-owned MMA training facility in Waipahu, Hawaii, and said it would stay closed permanently.

On September 19, 2023, Angela Lee wrote an article where she shared that her 2017 car crash in Hawaii was a very difficult moment for her. She also shared that her sister Victoria, who passed away in 2022, had also faced similar struggles. These experiences motivated Angela to create a non-profit organization called FIGHTSTORY. This organization shares podcasts and videos about mental health. It also has a program to help people with their nutrition and physical health.

Angela Lee's Achievements and Awards

Pankration Achievements

• World Pangration Athlima Federation World Championships:
  • 2012 Agon (full contact) Girls, 16-17 yrs, 58 kg - Champion.
  • 2012 Semi (semi contact) Girls, Juniors, 58 kg - Champion.

Folkstyle Wrestling Achievements

• HHSAA Wrestling Circuit
  • 2013, 121 lbs, Girls - Champion.

Mixed Martial Arts Achievements

• Amateur Career
  • Destiny MMA Women's Strawweight Championship (Won one time)
• ONE Championship
  • ONE Women's Atomweight World Championship (Won one time; she was the first champion)
    • Successfully defended her title five times
    • Longest-championship reign in ONE history (2,703 days)
  • Performance of the Night (Won one time) vs. Stamp Fairtex
  • 2016 Fight of the Year vs. Mei Yamaguchi
  • 2022 MMA Fight of the Year vs. Stamp Fairtex at ONE: X
• WMMA Press Association
  • 2015 Newcomer of the Year
  • 2015 Submission of the Year vs. Natalie Gonzales Hills
• World MMA Awards
  • 2018 Comeback of the Year vs. Mei Yamaguchi at ONE Championship: Unstoppable Dreams
• MMAJunkie.com
  • 2016 May Fight of the Month vs. Mei Yamaguchi

Angela Lee's Fight Record

See also

In Spanish: Angela Lee para niños

• List of ONE Championship champions