ONE Championship Fighter Angela Lee Waits For Opponent After Giving Birth, Stamp Fairtex Or Ritu Phogat?

Angela Lee (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee awaits her potential opponent after confirming her return to ONE Championship free combat after a long holiday giving birth to her first child.

The 25-year-old Singapore-American fighter now awaits the winner between atomweight ranking 2nd Stamp Fairtex of Thailand and number 4 Ritu Phogat who will battle it out in the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final in Singapore on Friday.

'I really like Stamp and Ritu. I've been a fan of them for a long time, so I just wanted to congratulate them both on getting to this point [the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final]," said Angela Lee.

"I think there's a lot of mutual respect between us, and I really appreciate that respect. I don't think you need to talk bad about your opponents, I don't think who they are and who I am. We don't need to put on a public show with create a kind of drama that never happened.” he added.

Although there are only two potential opponents waiting, Angela Lee, who is currently training in Hawaii, cannot predict who will be her opponent in the debut match after giving birth.

“You guys have cornered me! I think both women fighters deserve it and you know it, world class performances are embedded in their fighting style. Everyone knows Stamp Fairtex. He is known for his world class [skills] in muay thai and kickboxing. Meanwhile Ritu who is also a former world champion, she is an amazing wrestler and it is her main ability that makes her shine,” said Angela.

Angela has been out of action since her last win in October 2019 over China's Xiong Jing Nan, where she successfully defended her atomweight belt via rear-naked choke submission in the fifth round. Since then, Angela has focused on being a mother, having given birth to her daughter Ava Marie earlier this year.

The Singaporean-American superstar has returned to the gym in recent months to physically prepare himself for the defense of the title he has held for so long. He is expected to return to the Circle in early 2022.

But much has changed since he last stepped into the Circle, and many of the new challengers are progressing rapidly.

“The atomweight division is the most crowded with talented fighters, especially women. At this Grand Prix we saw so many new faces and we have a complete list of competitors. After this final, I will focus on who my next opponent will be – my first attempt to defend my title since returning. There will be more challenges to come after that, so step by step I will overcome them," concluded Angela Lee.