Victoria Lee, one of the most promising young mixed martial artists in the world, passed away at the age of 18, according to her family. “She has gone too soon and our family has been completely devastated since then,” wrote her sister, Angela, in an Instagram post on Saturday.
“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.”
Lee was raised in Hawaii, where she was born, and she comes from a long line of MMA fighters. While their brother, Christian, is the ONE Championship lightweight champion, Angela currently owns the atomweight world championship. The biggest MMA organization in Asia is called ONE. Victoria Lee, known as “The Prodigy,” was expected to follow in the footsteps of her brothers and become a world champion. She won her first three matches in ONE, but she took a break in 2022 to focus on finishing high school. She was also a junior world champion in the contemporary variation of the ancient Greek sport of Pankration.
Lee was closely involved with her siblings’ careers
Lee was closely involved with her siblings’ careers and would bake cakes for them after fights. In December she said her brother’s recent world title win was an inspiration. “I’m so proud of my big brother,” she said. “Just being able to be in the gym and watch him grind and push so hard in all of his training sessions, and watch the fight and see it play out so beautifully.”
“I’m so proud of my big brother,” she said. “Just being able to be in the gym and watch him grind and push so hard in all of his training sessions, and watch the fight and see it play out so beautifully.” ONE’s chairman, Chatri Sityodtong, also paid tribute to Lee.
“I first met Victoria when she was 11 years old,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “I watched her blossom over the years as a martial artist and a human being. I always remember thinking how wise, thoughtful, and selfless she was beyond her years. Of course, she was an extraordinary martial arts prodigy even back then, but I could see that she was so much more than that. Victoria had the purest heart of gold and a brilliant mind. She looked after others before herself. She wanted to use her life to help the world. I will always remember Victoria for the beautiful and precious soul that she was.”