‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee will defend her ONE Championship atomweight belt at ONE X on March 26 and if her latest social media pictures are any indication, she looks more than ready to continue her reign.  

Lee, who clinched the record for the youngest MMA world champion at 19 years old in 2016, will headline ONE’s 10^th-anniversary show against Stamp Fairtex, who was crowned ONE’s women atomweight world grand prix winner in December 2021.

For Lee, it will be her first fight since giving birth to her daughter Ava Marie in April of last year. The last time she fought inside the circle was before the pandemic started, in October 2019. The long-reigning atomweight queen defended her belt in a rematch against Xiong Jing Nan with a rear-naked choke in the dying minutes of round five.

In her Facebook post on Tuesday, the professional fighter celebrated motherhood while comparing two photos of her wearing the same clothes in the same exact location nine months apart.

“Yesterday, Ava Marie [turned] 9 months and wow, what a journey it has been for us! This picture really puts it all in perspective for me,” wrote Lee in the caption.

“On the left, I was nine months pregnant with Ava, just days away from giving birth & on the right, is a picture we took today! Ava is 9 months old and it's been nine months postpartum for me. I am so grateful for this body of mine, that housed, nourished and protected my baby girl.

“I am definitely taking a lot better care of my body, nourishing it not just for me but also for Ava as I'm still breastfeeding and nursing her. We have gone through a lot and we have grown a lot together [...] I'm so proud of us! I love you baby girl, thank you for teaching me how to be a good momma to you.”

Lee, who is married to fellow fighter Bruno Pucci, began her mixed martial arts (MMA) career in the Home of Martial Arts in May 2015, and as her nickname implies, she is unstoppable.

Since making her debut at the world’s largest martial arts organization, the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt holder has raked up 10 victories,

seven of which have come from submissions. She has also successfully defended the atomweight title four times.

On the other hand, Stamp is one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet at the moment, having collected 63 victories in 85 fights across Muay Thai and kickboxing. She is also the first woman to concurrently hold ONE Championship Muay Thai and kickboxing belts.

In MMA, the Thai has only lost once in nine professional bouts with five finishes.

In this upcoming classic matchup of striker versus grappler, Lee is keen to prove that being a mother can make her a better martial artist and prove naysayers wrong.

She received criticism for not being able to defend her belt.

In combat sports, there are a few instances in which a champion is stripped off their belt if they are unable to defend the title inside the arena. ONE Championship CEO and chairman Chatri Sityodtong, however, has a different idea.

"We just thought about it and I just thought about it, and the right thing to do is – this is her regular job, the woman gets pregnant, and you are supposed to celebrate. Stripping is the wrong thing, so we did an atomweight grand prix with eight of the best atomweight women from around the world," explained Sityodtong in an interview with Ariel Helwani in the MMA Hour.

Watch ONE: ONLY THE BRAVE on Jan. 28, on the ONE Super App and subscribe to ONE Championship on YouTube!

This article is a collaboration with ONE Championship

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