It’s pertinent Angela and Christian Lee compete under the ONE Championship banner.
The two mixed martial artists share a sibling bond so tight, you’d be forgiven for considering them as ‘one’. They are both ebullient characters away from the cage and veiled beneath their vivid personality is a fierce competitive disposition which has emerged from a relationship unique in combat sport.
Indeed, the brother and sister narrative is seldom seen in the world of sport – let alone MMA – but Angela and Christian are united by a passion which is in their blood.
It has always been and is a way of life for them. Their head coach and father Ken and mother Jewelz are lifelong martial artists. They both gained black belts in Tae Kwon Do and have competed at a high level. Inevitably, their children have had MMA inculated in them from the moment they could tie a belt around their gi and strike a pad.
Having moved to Hawaii from Canada, the Lee clan have their own gym, United MMA, and it is this framework which has stimulated the emergence of two best friends who have gone on to guide and support each other in the pursuit of glory.
From the beginning they have been training partners, a formidable blend which has already broken records.
Angela became the youngest female MMA fighter to capture a belt after her five-round Fight of the Year candidate with Mei Yamaguchi for the inaugural ONE Atomweight title in May. Her success catapulted the 20-year-old onto a level of notoriety in Singapore – Angela was born in Canada, is proudly half-Singaporean and lives in Hawaii – she scarcely thought conceivable.
With it, Team Lee has been thrust into the spotlight and their partnership is capturing attention worldwide. Christian, the younger of the two – who remarkably made his pro debut at just 17 last year – is a featherweight talent in his own right. He holds aspirations of standing side-by-side with Angela as the first siblings to be champions at the same time. It’s a prophecy which both fuels and inspires the 18-year-old and he’s happy to embrace the pressure of following in his big sister’s footsteps.
“You know the thing is, even though we’re way younger than all of our competition, we’ve grown up in the sport and we’ve grown up with martial arts our entire life,” he told Sport360.
“This is something that we truly love and it’s our passion. When you’re doing something you love, all the other external circumstances, they kind of fade away. When I’m going in there and that cage door closes, I love what I’m doing so I don’t worry about anything else, I just enjoy the moment.”
While the feeling of apprehension is absent from Christian when he steps inside the cage, the emotion is a polar opposite for Angela. It’s a topic which is discussed with the pair in the bowels of The Venetian Macau, China.
Christian is just hours away from his sixth professional fight and on the training mats, Angela is there with their father issuing words of encouragement and technical advice.
Prizing them away from key preparation, you’d envisage their minds are on the task at hand. Yet, in each other’s company they bounce off each other’s energy and provide engaging responses.
“Every single time he goes out there it’s always so exciting because I know exactly what he’s going through,” Angela explains. “But we’re both so lucky to have family in our corners. I trust them completely and I know he feels the same.”
It’s a sentiment which Christian echoes.
Christian and Angela Lee have been each other’s training partners ever since they got into martial arts.
“It’s great having the whole supporting cast there cageside,” he adds. “Having my dad as my coach and Angela in my corner, it’s just a great feeling being able to surround yourself with the people who care about you and the training partners that you’re with on a daily basis.
“We’ve grown up in each other’s corners our entire lives so we’re pretty comfortable with it.”
That comfort was given a stern examination in Macau, though. Christian would go on to suffer the first defeat of his career. And in harrowing fashion. Martin Nguyen, one of the most talented fighters in the division, sank in a guillotine choke late in the first round to force the stoppage.
But the teenager showed tremendous valour, refusing to tap and thus was sent into the realms of unconsciousness. It was the first taste of defeat for the brother-sister partnership and, of course, Angela cage side reacted with the distress any big sister would.
That quickly dissipated, though, and she is there, supporting and consoling her dispirited brother in the cage. Talk immediately afterwards turns towards getting back in the gym and correcting the mistakes – as a team.
That’s their mentality – to always seek improvement and although Christian’s climb towards a title has added steps, it will not deter him from the end goal.
“I’m working my butt off trying to climb my way up the ladder and get a title shot of my own,” he says. “I’m extremely proud of what Angela’s accomplished and I can’t wait for my opportunity to come so we both have our own belts.”
Undoubtedly, the pair’s present success and future ascent has been aided by the expertise of a father/coach entrenched in martial arts.
A loss isn't always a loss, as long as you can take something away from it...
— Angela Lee (@Unstoppable_Lee) August 14, 2016
Hold the vision. Trust the process. pic.twitter.com/mgbAiE4CGO
“The pros definitely out way the cons,” Angela explains when asked about the dynamic of the Team Lee.
“The cons are that you pretty much have your coach around you 24/7 and it can be bad when he’s telling you ‘put down that last piece of pie’,” she says with a smile. “But at the same time you’ve always got someone who has your best interests in mind. You know that every piece of advice that he offers is coming from the heart and so you can really trust in that.”
Despite their tender ages, the Lees have already etched their names in the history of this sport.
In December, they became the first siblings to compete on the same ONE card and both were triumphant. They repeated the feat on the night Angela took home gold in May and cemented their unbeaten record when fighting on the same bill. It’s a prospect they may have to get used to and although the stress is intensified, it’s something they both thrive on.
“It’s kind of good, when we last both fought in May, and Christian fought first, he told me that he was thinking ‘I’ve got to finish this guy so I can help you warm up’,” Angela says. “It’s a good motivation. It’s like double the glory and we can share that together but of course, it’s pretty stressful!”
Angela is targeting a November return and having signed one of the most lucrative contracts for a female fighter earlier this year, is unequivocally the face of the promotion. But where most would shy away from that mantle, she is more than happy to take it on.
“Right now women fighters are so technical and the competition is so high that in some respects we’re more exciting to watch than some other main events,” she says. “I think because some people don’t necessarily expect to see such skill from women fights but it’s evolved so much over the years it’s now at the highest level and I’m glad to be apart of that.”
No matter what the future holds, as a pair or as individuals, Team Lee are just happy that they get to train, compete and experience the rollercoaster ride as one.
