On Sunday (8 Jan), news emerged that Singapore Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Victoria Lee passed away on 26 Dec 2022.
Her sister, ONE Championship star Angela Lee, confirmed her death in an Instagram post.
Following the 18-year-old’s passing, her family’s Hawaii-based MMA gym reportedly closed down, with members receiving notices.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), a combat sports podcast host tweeted that the gym sent out notices to all members. In the notice, they stated that “all memberships will be cancelled, and students will no longer be billed”.
Source: @ToddAtkinsMMA on Twitter
A quick check on the gym’s official Instagram page shows that they changed the description to “permanently closed”.
Source: @unitedmmahawaii on Instagram
However, they did not put up an official notice on their website or social media pages regarding the permanent closure.
In 2013, the Lee family launched United MMA in Hawaii, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA). According to their website, the gym provides a variety of MMA and jiu-jitsu lessons for both children and adults, as well as several membership packages.
The family actually opened their first gym in Canada in 1996 but relocated to Hawaii in 2003.
Under the guidance of their father Ken Lee, Victoria and her siblings quickly shot to stardom in the MMA community.
Source: @victorialee.mma on Instagram
When she was 16, Victoria made her debut at ONE Championship and defeated Thailand’s Sunisa Srisen.
In her second fight, she went on to defeat China’s Wang Luping in less than four minutes.
Her final fight on 24 Sep 2022 was against Brazil’s Victoria Souza, where she successfully claimed her victory.
The passing of a loved one is devastating, and it’s hard to imagine the grief that Victoria’s family is going through.
MS News extends our deepest condolences to the family.
May they find the strength to get through this difficult period together.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @victorialee.mma on Instagram and United MMA Hawaii on Facebook.
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