“I know you will be back champ” - Angela Lee praises Smilla Sundell for fighting through weight struggles ahead of ONE Fight Night 22

It was a disappointing end to a promising world title reign, but Smilla Sundell found a huge supporter in women's MMA legend Angela Lee.

Sundell was stripped of the ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai world title after she tipped the scales at 126.5 pounds, 1.5 lbs over the division's limit.

Nevertheless, Sundell will push through with her world title fight against Natalia Diachkova in the main event of ONE Fight Night 22 this Friday at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Diachkova would be the only one eligible to win the gold after she passed the promotion's weight and hydration protocol.

Even though Sundell won't be eligible to win the gold, the determination she showed to accept the fight and how she tried to make weight captured Lee's support.

After ONE Championship showed a behind-the-scenes look at Sundell's desperate attempts to make weight, the inaugural ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion showed her love for the young phenom in the post's comments section.

"I almost lost my life because of the pressure of making weight. Looking back, I would have rather missed weight than left my life to fate. Smilla, you have such a bright future, so much talent and such a sweet human being. I hope you and your team place health as a first priority, even if it means missing weight. I know you will be back champ 🫂 Sending love ❤️ @smilla_fairtex," wrote Angela Lee.

Sundell, 19, was visibly distraught after she repeatedly missed the division's 125-pound weight limit.

'The Hurricane' even pondered on cutting her hair off just to make weight, but the scales still read beyond 125 pounds.

ONE Fight Night 22 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Angela Lee continues to fight for fighters' mental health awareness with FightStory

Angela Lee may be retired from MMA, but she's still an active figure in the overall realm of fighters' wellness.

The Singaporean-American star retired from the sport in September 2023 after her younger sister Victoria tragically passed away in December 2022.

Lee has since founded the non-profit organization FightStory to help fighters deal with their mental health.

The group held its first event in Hawaii this past February and Lee used her platform to extend her reach to the public.

"The success of our event was a team effort and would not be possible without each team member and their heart for our organization," wrote Lee on Instagram.