Angela Lee Will Keep Championship Title And Will Return To Ring In Late-2021
Reigning ONE Championship Women’s Atomweight Champion Angela Lee has been flying the Singapore flag high in the MMA world ever since her 2014 debut.
Last week, the 24-year-old announced her pregnancy and plans on making a return in Oct 2021.
Since then, some have called for Angela to vacate the title, so as not ‘hold up’ the Atomweight division.
On Friday (9 Oct), ONE Championship founder Chatri Sityodtong announced on Facebook that Angela will remain champion despite her pregnancy, and will not be asked to vacate the title.
He also took the opportunity to send Angela well wishes.
Angela Lee will not be stripped of belt or asked to vacate title
In his Facebook post, Mr Sityodtong said that Angela will not be stripped of her belt, or asked to vacate it.
The ONE Championship founder, however, did list a number of reasons why a champion might be removed of his or her title,
- Cheating
- Criminal activities
- Unwillingness to defend
- Retirement
Angela’s pregnancy clearly does not tick any of the boxes, and hence, stripping her of the belt would be “unfathomable”.
Mr Sityodtong also called Angela a “real-life superhero” and sent her well wishes for her pregnancy.
Fighters to participate in tournament, winner faces Angela for belt
Mr Sityodtong’s response came after Filipino fighter Denise Zamboanga publicly asked for Angela to relinquish her belt due to her pregnancy.
Zamboanga is ranked number 1 in the promotion’s Atomweight division which puts her in pole position for a championship bout.
However, the ONE Championship management said fighters in the division would have to participate in a grand prix of which the winner would face Angela for the belt.
8 female atomweights will participate in the tournament set to take place early next year, reports SCMP.
Wishing Angela Lee a healthy pregnancy
We are heartened by Mr Sityodtong’s response to the saga, ensuring that pregnancy is not a hurdle in any of the promotion’s female fighters’ careers.
MS News would also like to wish Angela a smooth and healthy pregnancy and look forward to seeing her in the ring again.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and ONE Championship.Â
