Angela Lee On Xiong Jing Nan, Michelle Nicolini And Paige VanZant

Next month Angela Lee returns to action, having lost for the first time back in March at ONE: A New Era. Lee, the ONE atomweight champion, was stopped by Xiong Jing Nan in the fifth round, fighting for the ONE strawweight title.

Speaking to BJPenn.com‘s Tom Taylor, Lee discussed losing for the first time.

“Losing sucks. No one likes to lose. It took a little while to get my head straight after that. But I was able to look back on it and kind of view it as a lesson that’s going to serve a greater purpose. I needed to take this loss now in order to enable me to grow even further as a martial artist. So I’m grateful for it and I’ve been training harder than ever. I’m very motivated to get back in there and just tear it up.”

‘Unstoppable’ returns on July 12th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the co-main event at ONE: Masters Of Destiny against Michelle Nicolini. And the 22 year old is excited to get back in the ring.

“I’m very excited for this fight. I want to get in there, shake the dust off and just make this fight a great comeback fight.

“I’ve been preparing for this for a while now. I had a full camp and I feel like we really covered every single area, we’ve gone over all the scenarios that could possibly happen. I feel very well prepared.

“I’m extremely confident. I know jiu jitsu is her skillset where she is strongest, and I’m prepared to deal with her strength, but also take her to areas where I don’t feel she’s as prepared. I think that I’m more of a well-rounded mixed martial artist. MMA is extremely different than jiu jitsu, and I think everyone’s going to see that in the fight.

“I want a devastating finish, just like I used to get in my early days and when I first started fighting for ONE Championship and I had those first-round finishes. I’m hungry for that, so wherever I see the finish, whether it be on the feet or on the ground, I want it.”

Having experiencing a loss for the first time, lee is looking at it philosophically and says she would love a rematch against Xiong.

“I feel like that fight has allowed me to grow so much more as a martial artist, as a fighter, as a champion. I think that whenever the time comes, I’d love a rematch.

“I think it’s just about going back to hard work. The kind of hard, hard work that got me to the top. Sometimes when you become a champion, you don’t have that same hunger, that same will and work ethic that it takes to get you to the top. I just had to revisit that and really be honest with myself and say ‘hey, you can push harder, you can do better. Never stop.’ I think that mentality is gonna help me to become more successful.

“I’m hoping to make sure the next time I fight her it’s going to be decisive. I’m training hard for that and I’m sure sure that fight will happen in the not too distant future.”

As well as planning a rematch with Xiong, Lee also plans to move back down to the atomweight division by the end of the year to defend her belt.

“I’m always staying ready. I’m keeping my eye out for who the top contenders are at Atomweight, but as of right now, there’s not really anyone I can put a name on, so I’m just waiting. And while I’m waiting for the next top contender in the Atomweight division, I want to stay busy with strawweight. So that’s the plan.”

After Paige VanZant said recently saying that she intends to test free agency after her next fight in the UFC, Lee says she will love to welcome her to ONE Championship.

“I would love that matchup. I would welcome it with open arms for sure.”

Would you like to see Angela Lee vs Paige VanZant?


See also:


Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Leave comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.