ONE Championship: 5 potential opponents for Victoria Lee's next fight

Victoria Lee is a mixed martial arts prodigy, largely because of her influences. Lee comes from a family of decorated martial artists. To say the Lee family has taken the mixed martial arts world by storm is an understatement.

It all started with Angela Lee and her rapid rise to the top of the ONE Championship atomweight division. The woman known as 'Unstoppable' found herself in a championship bout just six fights into her young career, facing off against Mei Yamaguchi, who owned a 19-fight experience advantage at the time.

The fight would deliver five hellacious rounds of action with Lee, still two months away from her 20th birthday, earning the unanimous decision nod.

Next came Christian Lee, the younger brother of Angela and one of the best lightweights on the planet. After winning nine of his first 10 bouts, Lee unsuccessfully challenged for ONE’s featherweight strap, falling to Martin Nguyen for the second time.

Just four fights later, Lee would fight for the ONE lightweight world title, this time successfully defeating Shinya Aoki via technical knockout. Lee has since lost the title but remains the lightweight division’s top contender.

'The Prodigy' Victoria Lee

The focus has now shifted to Victoria Lee, a 17-year-old phenom with three wins in three outings, all by way of finish. Though she is young, a step up in competition seems to be on the horizon.

With that in mind, here are five athletes we want to see Victoria Lee fight next.

#5. Alyse 'Lil' Savage' Anderson vs. Victoria Lee

With the ONE on the TNT series and rumors swirling regarding ONE Championship's arrival in the United States, pitting Lee against an American opponent makes a lot of sense.

Alyse Anderson would provide a step up in competition for Lee, as the Michigan native owns a professional record of 5-2 with a pair of knockouts and one submission.

Anderson entered the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix fitted in a patriotic fight kit from head to toe, even featuring red, white and blue braids. The 26-year-old lost a hard-fought decision bout to Japan’s Itsuki Hirata, eliminating her from tournament contention.

Of course, with the tournament’s grand prize being a title shot opposite Angela Lee, a fight with Victoria Lee seems like a fair consolation prize for Anderson, along with the aforementioned step up in competition for Lee.

#4. Gina 'Conviction' Iniong vs. Victoria Lee

If ONE Championship is seeking to steadily build Victoria Lee up, Gina Iniong would serve as the perfect step up in competition. At 32 years old, Iniong is a martial arts veteran with a professional record of 9-4, far more experienced than any of Victoria Lee’s prior opponents.

Coming from a background in Wushu, the Filipina athlete has shown a tendency to favor her striking for the majority of her bouts. The contrast between Iniong’s style and Victoria Lee’s creates a beautiful striker versus grappler clash, with the latter experiencing an unfamiliar level of advanced striking for the first time.

Of course, despite the increase in difficulty, the fight is very winnable for Victoria Lee, who has proven to be a legitimate threat on the ground with both submissions and strikes.

For Iniong, the lone instance in which she was finished came by way of a rear-naked choke back in 2014, creating an interesting dynamic within the potential fight.

#3. Bi 'Killer Bee' Nguyen vs. Victoria Lee

Undoubtedly the easiest inclusion on this list, Victoria Lee versus Bi Nguyen makes all the sense in the world for everyone involved.

For starters, Nguyen is one of the most recognizable names in the atomweight division. Her story of triumph through tragedy is about as heart-wrenching and inspiring as can be.

Combine that with Victoria Lee’s incredible ongoing story and you have two extremely relatable, loveable, and marketable athletes competing head-to-head, shrouded in respect and mutual admiration.

Athletics-wise, Nguyen has experienced her fair share of peaks and valleys, often alternating between wins and losses. Despite the results, Nguyen has a reputation for putting on fan-friendly fights and leaving everything in the Circle.

Conversely, Victoria Lee would again face a step up in competition, with Nguyen holding wins over notable names like Ritu Phogat.

#2. Mei 'V.V' Yamaguchi vs. Victoria Lee

If a steady build-up in competition doesn’t tickle your fancy, a rapid sprint towards the top for Victoria Lee featuring Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi undoubtedly will.

Sure, this may be too much too soon for the youthful Victoria Lee, but who’s to say she can’t get the job done?

Yamaguchi would enter the fight with a mammoth advantage in experience. For some perspective, Yamaguchi is 21 years older than Victoria Lee. She also began competing professionally in 2007, two months before Lee’s third birthday. In terms of fights, she has won 18 more than Lee, has been involved in 32 more than Lee, and yet… would likely be only a slight favorite entering the match.

Sure, that sounds insane. However, with Victoria Lee’s career revving up and Yamaguchi’s winding down, the prospect of the two meeting in the middle isn’t as crazy as it may sound. Should Victoria Lee secure a victory, get ready to hear rumblings about the next fighter on this list.

#1. 'Unstoppable' Angela Lee vs. Victoria Lee

Yes, really. The two are in the same division competing for the same prize, so why not?

Of course, this idea is about as far-fetched as they come. But you’d be equally as mad for not including Angela Lee on this list.

The build-up and magnitude of this fight would be otherworldly. It’s a concept that has never been seen before in the highest level of mixed martial arts competition, one that would undoubtedly create a tidal wave of controversy and interest.

This is further magnified when considering that the two sisters are also training partners coached by their father, Ken Lee. So there would be no shortage of storylines.

As for the fight itself, well, Angela is the ONE women's atomweight world champion for a reason, so it’s likely too much too soon for the younger Victoria Lee.

But hey, anything can happen in the Circle.