Victoria
Lee, 18-year-old martial arts prodigy and undefeated MMA
prospect in One Championship, died on Dec. 26, according to
an Instagram post by her sister, ONE atomweight champ Angela Lee,
on Jan. 7.
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The elder sister’s statement read:
“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.
Victoria was the most beautiful soul who ever lived. She was the
best little sister in the world. The best daughter, the best
granddaughter and the best godma / aunty to Ava and Alia.
We miss you so much sis. More than you could ever realize. We’re
all broken. Because a piece of you was in each of us and when you
left, those pieces were ripped out of us. We will never be the
same.
Each and every little thing makes me think of you. From the sun
rays, to the sunset. You taught us to see the beauty in the simple
things. You were our bright light. Our sunshine. And that will
never change. You were perfect in every way. The best person I
knew. The most beautiful girl, inside and out. We love you
Victoria. I love you Sprout. Until the end of time.
Please give our family grace and respect during this most difficult
time. And please, check on your loved ones. Keep checking on them.
Give them hugs and tell them how much they mean to you. You just
never know.”
Lee trained in martial arts from childhood and won a Hawaii state
championship in wrestling as a high school sophomore in 2020. The
next year she followed her older siblings, Angela and Christian,
to One Championship, where her brother currently reigns as a
two-division champion at lightweight and welterweight. She made her
professional debut as a 16-year-old at One “Fists of Fury” in
February of 2021, defeating Sunisa
Srisan by rear-naked choke. The teenage phenom recorded two
more wins that year, both inside the distance, before taking all of
2022 off. She had been scheduled to return from that hiatus to face
Zeba
Bano at One on Prime Video 6 on Jan. 14.
Lee’s cause of death was unknown as of Sunday night. She is
survived by her parents Ken and Jewelz, her two elder siblings and
a younger brother, Adrian.