MMA fighter Angela Lee hurt in car crash, pulls out of title defence

[SINGAPORE] Asian mixed martial arts fighter Angela Lee has been injured in a car crash in Hawaii, forcing her to withdraw from a title defence this month, Singapore-based promoter ONE Championship said Wednesday.

Lee, 21, will make a full recovery from the accident which happened early Tuesday when she fell asleep while driving to the gym in Hawaii where she was training, said ONE Championship founder Chatri Sityodtong in a Facebook post.

He said the car flipped over several times and was left a "complete wreck" but added: "Miraculously, she survived with only a concussion, some minor burns, and a banged up body.

"If she was not wearing a seatbelt, it would have most certainly been a different story." He called on supporters to send "love, prayers and positive energy to Angela and her family".

He said the fighter, of Korean and Singaporean descent, would not compete on November 24 when she had been due to mount a defence of her atomweight world title.

She had been training in Hawaii for her third title defence in Singapore.

Lee first won the crown when she beat Japan's Mei Yamaguchi in 2016, and had been due to face Yamaguchi in this month's title defence.

Lee holds a 8-0 record in her MMA career with six wins by submission.

She is one of the top names on ONE's stable of fighters, which tries to promote homegrown fighters from across the region.

The main muscle behind Asia's MMA explosion, ONE claims 90 percent of the region's market share.

AFP