How Being A Great Sister Prepared Angela Lee For Superstardom

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee inspires millions of people around the world who aspire to be just like her.

It is a lot of pressure on someone so young, but the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion has had plenty of practice as a role model – even before she put on the gloves as a mixed martial arts professional.

The 22-year-old has a younger sister and two younger brothers – including ONE Championship featherweight contender Christian “The Warrior” Lee – and she has set an example for them ever since her childhood.

It is a big responsibility, but it is one that she has taken in her stride. In fact, Lee did not realize how her role as the oldest sibling prepared her for life as a World Champion, until now.

“I never really thought of it that way, but I guess it is something that really came naturally,” she says.

“Being the oldest of four [children], I’ve always been my parents’ helper, and I always helped to take care of the kids. My parents always told me to set the example, so it does correlate into my career.

“I know I can’t be going out and making a fool out of myself on my social media and partying. That’s not really part of my personality anyway, but I know there’s a lot of people out there [looking up to me].

“This responsibility is something I embrace, and I want to do the best out of it that I can. I’m always looking for ways to help people. If I can ever do work outside of the cage, I always try to do it because that’s what I feel I was put here to do, and I love it.”

Coming from a very tight-knit family, Lee considered her brothers and sister to be her good friends as well as her siblings.

The bond is particularly close between the “Unstoppable” one and Christian because they are so close in age, and the pair were perfect training partners as they came up learning martial arts from their parents. She maintains that same relationship with “The Warrior” to this day.

“Christian and I, we are so tight. We’re only two years apart, so we practically grew up side-by-side,” Lee explains.

“It’s crazy. It’s so cool to be on the same path together and to go through the same things.

“The amount of time that we’ve spent with each other growing up is kind of abnormal compared to normal siblings, so we have a really special bond.

“Just being alongside Christian has taught me so much – to be a better martial artist, to be a better person. When I go out there and I train and I do my thing, I’m always trying to set a good example.”

One of the best parts about their relationship is that the Lee siblings keep each other grounded.

“We talk about it a lot – not to lose ourselves in all of this fame and this limelight of being a professional fighter. It helps to have your family around you to stay grounded,” she adds.

“With Christian, that’s one thing I always talk about with him. One day, he’s going to be a great champion and he’s still going to be his kind, sweet self. That’s why it is so important to keep that relationship close and be able to speak into each other’s lives and receive [advice] from each other.”

In their family, martial arts education has been handed down from generation to generation, and the atomweight queen helps to teach her siblings alongside her parents. However, it is also a two-way street.

“We’re constantly learning from each other. It’s the coolest thing,” Lee says.

“Just this morning, we finished practice, and I said, ‘Hey Christian, look at this cool thing I found. You can do this position from here.’ He was like, ‘Angela, I found that out last month and I showed you, too.’

“We’re so in sync, and we’re so on the same page that we’re always discovering new techniques and wanting to share it with each other.”

The relationship she has with her brothers and sister is why Lee always makes time for them, even when she is deep in training camp – like she is now for her upcoming title challenge against ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan, which takes place at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in Singapore on Friday, 9 November.

Nothing would make her happier than helping her siblings make their dreams come true.

“I just want them to be the best they can be, and do whatever I can do to help them achieve their goals,” Lee states. “It’s all from the heart.”