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Angela retains ONE C'ship atomweight title

Angela Lee continued her reign as ONE Championship's women's atomweight world champion after a unanimous-decision victory over Japan's Mei Yamaguchi in front of a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday night.

Lee, 21, making her comeback after a car accident late last year, traded heavy blows with Yamaguchi, 35, in a repeat of their epic 2016 clash at the same venue. Yamaguchi started out strongly earlier on, but Lee came close with several near-submissions.

Yamaguchi showed clearly that she was not about to give up without a tough fight, stretching her opponent all the way. Throughout five gruelling rounds, Lee dug deep to show the heart of a champion, doing just enough to earn the unanimous decision win.

She said: “It's a huge night for me and my family. It’s not easy to do what we're doing inside the cage. Martial arts fans and their love for the sport are the reason why we're fighting. This is for you guys. Props to Mei Yamaguchi. She's an amazing and very talented competitor. Thank you for the opportunity.”

Earlier in the night, Lee's younger brother Christian lost to Australia's Martin Nguyen in his challenge for the ONE featherweight world championship title by way of a closely contested split decision.

In the co-main event of the evening, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao of Thailand exhibited his stellar and fearsome form against Dutch kickboxer Sergio Wielzen to become the first ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight world champion.

Banking on his trademark power to dominate from start to finish, Sam-A hammered hard elbows to score a knockdown in the fourth round. Reeling in excruciating pain, Wielzen failed to beat the count of 10, compelling the referee to wave off the bout and declare Sam-A the winner via knockout.

MMA (MIXED MARTIAL ARTS)angela leeOne Championship