ONE Championship fighter Victoria Lee, younger sister of ONE champions Angela and Christian Lee, has passed away at the age of 18.
The news was shared by Angela on her Instagram page, as she revealed Victoria had tragically died during the holiday period.
“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,” Angela wrote.
“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.”
Victoria was the third member of the Lee family to join Singapore-based promotion ONE Championship as he looked to follow in the footsteps of her championship-winning siblings Angela and Christian.
She made her professional debut in February 2021 and defeated Thailand’s Sunisa Srisen via second-round rear-naked choke to get her career off to a flying start at ONE: Fists of Fury in Singapore.
Victoria then followed up that victory with two more stoppage victories, finishing Luping Wang via first-round armbar at ONE: Battleground in July 2021, then handing previously-undefeated Brazilian Victoria Souza her first career defeat via second-round TKO two months later at ONE: Revolution.
Those three victories offered plenty of hope for Victoria’s future in ONE Championship. But the news of her tragic passing at such a young age has blindsided the MMA community, and a host of figures from the sport shared their condolences in comments submitted to Angela’s Instagram post.
“We pray for your family and loved one. Condolences to the family,” wrote former UFC champion Henry Cejudo, while former two-division ONE champion Aung La N Sang, posted, “This can not be real! I am so sorry to hear that @angelaleemma condolences to the Lee family.”
Those sentiments were echoed in a plethora of posts from figures from within the sport, including Max Holloway, Adriano Moraes, Marc Goddard and Bi Nguyen.
The cause of Victoria’s death has not currently been shared, with Angela simply asking fans to respect their family as they come to terms with the tragic news.
“Please give our family grace and respect during this most difficult time,” Angela posted.
“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.”
