Victoria Lee

Young and Otherwise Healthy MMA Prodigy Dies Suddenly at 18

It’s getting difficult to keep up with all of these stories. Young and otherwise healthy athletes are falling on a seemingly daily basis, and that’s just based on what’s reported to the public. Oftentimes, these stories are buried in local news. Sometimes they don’t get reported at all.

In 2023, sudden deaths of athletes are far too common. The latest is the Victoria Lee, a rising star in female Mixed Martial Arts who was just 18-years-old when she died. According to the NY Post:

Victoria Lee, a rising mixed martial artist who competed under the ONE Championship promotion, died last month, her sister Angela Lee announced on Saturday. Lee was 18 years old. No cause of death was given.

Angela Lee said Victoria Lee died on Dec. 26 as she mourned ‘the most beautiful soul’ in a message on Instagram.

“She has gone too soon and our family has been completely devastated since then,” Angela Lee said. “We miss her. More than anything in this world. Our family will never be the same. Life will never be the same. We miss you so much sis. More than you could ever realize. We’re all broken. Because a piece of you was in each of us and when you left, those pieces were ripped out of us. We will never be the same.”

Her future in the brutal sport was set. Even before she was old enough to vote, she was already making waves. According to The Blaze:

Victoria Lee was born in Waipahu, Hawaii. Her father Ken was born in Singapore, and her mother Jewelz is Korean-Canadian. Her sister Angela and brother Christian Lee are both ONE World Champions.

Victoria Lee won back-to-back gold medals at the Hawaiian Pankration Junior World Championship in 2019 and 2020. She was also a Hawaii state wrestling champion, and an International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) junior world champion.

At age 16, Lee signed a contract to fight in the Atomweight division of the ONE Championship. At age 17, Lee made her professional fighting debut at the ONE Championship 129: Fists Of Fury event. She defeated Sunisa Srisan in the second round by submission.

Lee – who had an undefeated 3-0 record – was scheduled to fight in her fourth MMA match on Jan. 13, at the ONE on Prime Video 6 event in Bangkok, Thailand.

The truth is starting to reach the masses, but only because there is far too much of it to hide forever. People are becoming aware that there’s something wrong with the jabs even if far too few are willing to say anything about it. This is why it’s so imperative that we continue to spread the word. Leave a comment on my Substack.