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Rising mixed martial arts star 'The Prodigy' Victoria Lee has died at the age of 18. The sad news was relayed by her elder sister, Angela, the reigning ONE women’s atomweight world champion, in an Instagram post on January 7.
According to the post, Victoria Lee passed away on December 26, 2022. The cause of death was not shared.
A grieving Angela wrote:
“On December 26, 2022 our family experienced something no family should ever have to go through... It is incredibly difficult to say this…Our Victoria passed away.
“She has gone too soon and our family has been completely devastated since then. We miss her. More than anything in this world. Our family will never be the same. Life will never be the same.”
Angela ended her post by asking for respect and understanding for her family during this difficult time.
Prior to her death, Victoria Lee, a decorated junior-level athlete in different combat sports, was tipped as an MMA world champion in the making, following in the footsteps of world champion siblings Angela and Christian Lee, the ONE lightweight and welterweight world champion.
Atomweight Lee was undefeated in ONE Championship in three impressive fights.
She made her debut on February 26, 2021, at ONE: Fists of Fury, defeating Sunisa Srisen by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the second round.
Victoria Lee followed up the win with another submission victory (triangle armbar) in the opening round over Wang Luping in July of the same year.
Her last fight was on September 24, 2021, at ONE: Revolution, where she topped Victoria Souza by technical knockout (punches).
Singaporean-American fighter Lee was slated to make her circle return against 'Fighting Queen' Zeba Bano of India on January 13 at ONE Fight Night 6.
In an obituary posted at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Hawaii, a celebration of life is set for January 22, after which Lee will be buried.
WATCH: Victoria Lee wins her second pro MMA fight at the age of 17
Before her surprising death, Victoria 'The Prodigy' Lee was poised for greatness.
At 17 years old, she won her second professional mixed martial arts fight in ONE Championship, defeating Wang Luping of China in 2021 through a triangle armbar in the opening round.
ONE recently uploaded a three-minute video of the fight to its YouTube channel, vividly capturing Lee's impressive performance.
Check out the video here:
In just two years of her pro career, Lee compiled a 3-0 record.
Lee was the younger sister of ONE world champions Angela (womatomweight) and Christian (lightweight and welterweight).
