‘I Always Have The Hometown Advantage’ – Angela Lee Motivated To Make History In Singapore
There are a lot of facets to Angela Lee. One of them is her Singaporean heritage, which will be a major motivator when she steps into the Circle on Friday, September 30.
“Unstoppable” challenges Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 2 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and she knows she’ll have the crowd’s support behind her.
Her father and coach, Ken, is from “The Lion City,” and despite being born in Canada and living in Hawaii, Lee is proud to represent this part of her heritage on the global stage.
She said:
“My dad was born in Singapore. It’s just in my blood. So it doesn’t matter where I live or where I was born, it’s part of who I am. [It’s] in my blood, my race, who I am.
“I’m half-Korean, half-Chinese-Singaporean. I feel totally comfortable with who I am now and representing all the different places that make me who I am.”
When “Unstoppable” walks into battle for her trilogy bout against Xiong, the audience will raise the roof.
Comprised of family as well as fans, attendees at the Singapore Indoor Stadium will surely inspire Lee as she tries to get ahead of her fiercest rival in their tied 1-1 series.
She said:
“I know that my family is going to be in the crowd cheering me on. It always gives me huge motivation.
“It was nice fighting Xiong [at ONE: A NEW ERA] in Tokyo. That was the first time that ONE ever went to Japan. And it was a very cool and new experience. But I love fighting in Singapore. I feel like I always have the hometown advantage.”
Angela Lee Ready To Roar In ‘The Lion City’
The Singapore Indoor Stadium would be the perfect place for Angela Lee to make history.
She won the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title there in 2016, and to become the first-ever female two-division ONE World Champion in the same arena six years later would be a spectacular moment.
Already picturing the possibilities, Lee said:
“It stirs up a lot of different emotions. I am so familiar with the Singapore Indoor Stadium, walking through those halls and being in that environment.
“It’s very, very familiar, so it feels right at home, and I know that I’ve gotten through this so many times. It’s definitely going to be an iconic moment on October 1.”
While Xiong Jing Nan is now a resident of the city-state and trains at Evolve MMA, to “Unstoppable,” it’s her fortress, and she feels like she has to defend it en route to making history.
In fact, Lee will do anything to get the win in Singapore, and she believes the location is another good omen for her second shot at Xiong’s strawweight gold.
She said:
“You know what, I am looking at it like [I have to defend my home turf]. Because capturing the second title, becoming champ-champ, this is what I’ve been after for so many years.
“Now is finally the right time, everything’s lined up, and I need to capitalize on this moment and capture it, because if I don’t, I’m not going to get [another] chance to fight for this belt.
“So I’m looking at it as, ‘This is my last shot.’ And of course, she’s going to be defending it with all she’s got. But I know that I’m going to be stealing this belt from her at the end of the night.”
