JAPANESE atomweight Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi is the top contender to ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee. Yamaguchi has had a checkered career but she has never been submitted or knocked out in her MMA career.
Lee, on the other hand, has knocked out or submitted every opponent she has competed against in ONE Championship, except Yamaguchi, the woman she defeated for the inaugural title.
Now, a year and a half removed from that match the Singaporean titleholder has an opportunity to definitively defeat Yamaguchi without requiring the judges.
Lee defends her coveted belt against Yamaguchi in a rematch at ONE: Immortal Pursuit.
“I won the first match, but this is my chance to do it right, the way I usually do it. I like to finish my bouts in devastating fashion, and that is how I see this match ending. I am going to finish her,” the 21-year-old said.
“Mei (Yamaguchi) is a tough opponent and she has never been finished before. All of her losses are by decision. I know she is gritty and she is tough, but this time it is going to be different.”
Ever since defeating Yamaguchi in their internationally-acclaimed Bout of the Year 2016 clash at ONE: Ascent to Power in May 2016, capturing the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship in the process, Lee has displayed a complete evolution in her martial arts techniques.
This past March at ONE: Warrior Kingdom, the “Unstoppable” heroine flashed the crisp Muay Thai skills she learned from the many world champions at Evolve MMA, and unleashed it on Jenny “Lady GoGo” Huang in her first title defense. Her pinpoint striking led to a third-round TKO.
Lee followed that up with a dynamic performance against Istela Nunes at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes in May. She out-grappled the Brazilian challenger and constantly threatened with submission attempts in the opening stanza, and finally tapped her out in the second frame with an anaconda choke.
Making that victory even more impressive was the fact that Lee had been sick the week before the event with a form of pneumonia. Still, she persevered, and was determined to compete nonetheless.
“It was really hard, because it messed with my confidence. I was feeling so sick on the week of the bout, and I still had to train and watch my weight while taking antibiotics. It was really tough,” she said.
“I was so nervous and I was really scared before the bout, because I did not know how I would do. The sickness and everything really affected me. The only thing that was pulling me through were my dad’s reassurances of, ‘Hey, you trained for this and you put all the hours in. What is, at the most, 30 minutes going to do?’ I did exactly what he said, and it paid off.”
Lee has overcome her greatest adversity yet, but in November, she is looking to finish the only rival to have gone the distance with her. Yamaguchi, meanwhile, has continued to stay active.