3 of Angela Lee's most impressive submissions

Reigning ONE women’s atomweight world champion ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee is undoubtedly the face of ONE Championship, and perhaps its most recognizable fighter.

The 26-year-old Singaporean-American superstar arrived at her position on the back of highlight-reel submission victories in the Circle, and has built a reputation as an absolute ace on the mats.

On September 30, live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, Lee will attempt to make history as the first female two-division ONE world champion when she takes on reigning ONE women’s strawweight world champion, ‘The Panda’ Xiong Jing Nan, in the headline bout of ONE on Prime Video 2.

The event broadcasts live via Prime Video on US primetime to fans in the United States and Canada.

Lee and Xiong’s rivalry is tied at 1-1, with both women having a win over her rival. Before Lee steps back into the Circle to attempt to break the tie, let’s take a quick look at the submission wins that got ‘Unstoppable’ to this point in her career.

Here are three of Angela Lee’s most impressive submissions.

#3. Anaconda Choke - Angela Lee vs. Istela Nunes

In May 2017, Angela Lee stepped in against a hard-hitting Brazilian in Istela Nunes for her second world title defense. ‘Unstoppable’ was coming off her first TKO win in the Circle, and started the match off looking to stand up against Nunes.

The match would soon find its way to the ground, where Lee dominated her foe with a series of submission attempts and a barrage of punches to end the first round. The second round started off the same way, with Lee standing up with Nunes early. After just over a minute into the round, they reach the ground again, and Lee catching teh Brazilian’s head in an Anaconda Choke.

The hold involves is an arm triangle from a headlock position that looks quite similar to a D’Arce Choke. While it’s not uncommon, it’s quite difficult to lock in, especially with sweat on the athletes’ bodies. However, Lee made it look impossible to get out of when she locked it in on Nunes. Alternating leg kicks and pressure, the Singaporean-American held on relentlessly for about a minute before Nunes ultimately tapped out.

Watch the fight below:

#2. Neck Crank/Rear-Naked Choke - Angela Lee vs. Xiong Jing Nan 2

Angela Lee got a rude awakening in her first venture into the strawweight division, failing in her bid to claim Xiong Jing Nan’s ONE women’s straweight world title and losing to grappling legend Michelle Nicolini on back-to-back occasions. For her final bout in 2019, the atomweight queen defended her world title against Xiong in an epic rematch of their encounter earlier in the year.

Through the first two rounds, ‘The Panda’ masterfully defended Lee’s attempts and successfully kept the bout on their feet for most of the match. In the third round, Lee showed why the ground is her realm, controlling the Chinese star’s back for most of the round. Xiong amazingly found a way to keep it a striking battle in the championship rounds and even gave Lee a scare midway in the fourth, bludgeoning the ONE women’s atomweight world champion’s back as she went for a single-leg takedown.

Lee countered with an amazing body slam that put her on Xiong’s back. The strawweight queen turtled up to defend against Lee’s attacks, but ‘Unstoppable’ lived up to her name, methodically looking for openings to finish the bout. Lee slowly locked in a body triangle as Xiong defended against her punches and later found a way to put her arm under Xiong’s neck.

Her position did not allow her to execute a regular rear-naked choke, so Lee instead pushed her weight forward and put pressure on Xiong’s head, leading to a tight neck crank with just seconds left in the match. ‘The Panda’ tried valiantly to hang on, but was forced to tap just before the 10-second mark of the final round of their matchup.

Watch the fight below:

#1. Twister - Angela Lee vs. Natalie Gonzalez HIlls

Back when she was just 19 years old, Angela Lee has already shown incredible skills on the ground with back-to-back first-round submission wins in her first two matches in ONE Championship. Her third match showed the world that those wins were based on skill rather than luck.

Going up against Natalie Gonzalez Hills, Lee looked to showcase some of ther striking prowess early on, but eventually sent her opponent to the ground. She then put Hills on the defensive, attempting submissions and raining down a ground and pound. Lee later flipped her opponent on the ground and slithered her way to control the back of Hills.

While on the back, Lee locked the Australian’s left leg and proceeded to grab onto her opponent’s head. The Singaporean-American then put the squeeze on and pulled Hills’ leg and head on opposite directions, a move called the Twister. Conceptually, it’s a move that could instantly lead to a finish. Realistically though, it is almost impossible to pull off in an actual fight setting because of its degree of difficulty.

There may be people who would doubt her as a ‘legit grappler’, but Angela Lee showed how she is cut above the rest in grappling in an MMA setting by pulling off a rare move like the Twister with such precision and excellence.

Watch the fight below: