Singapore will have two local world champions in town this May, when undefeated ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee (7-0) returns to the Lion City this 26 May to defend her title against Brazil’s Istela Nunes (6-0) in the main event of ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES.
Accompanying Lee during her walk out to the cage will be Olympic gold medalist swimmer Joseph Schooling.
“I am very happy to be including Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling in my walkout as I defend my world title for the second time, this time right here in Singapore,” said the 20-year-old Lee.
“I can’t wait to hear the roar of the crowd as their two world champions walk out to the cage, one holding the ONE Championship belt and the other with the Singapore national flag!”
Schooling is a 21-year-old world champion swimmer who came to prominence after he shocked the world, winning a gold medal at the 100m butterfly event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He defeated legendary swimmer Michael Phelps to claim the honor, and has since achieved international fame.
Schooling was born and raised in Singapore and is a third-generation Singaporean. He moved to the United States to pursue his studies and is currently enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently serving as a member of the prestigious Texas Longhorns swimming team.
Both Schooling and Lee have met before, last year during a ONE Championship marketing event that saw Schooling step inside the cage for the first time, and attempt to run a few martial arts drills with the MMA world champion.
Angela and her younger brother Christian, also a ONE Championship athlete, showed Schooling some basic striking and grappling techniques, which the swimming champion says he thoroughly enjoyed.
Suffice to say, Schooling is excited at the opportunity to be able to walk out to the cage with Lee.
“When ONE Championship approached me last November, I was definitely keen to show my support for my fellow Singaporean athletes by walking alongside them. However, it was not possible due to school commitments,” said Schooling.
“This time around, I definitely do not want to miss the chance to walk alongside ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee, as she defends her title against Istela Nunes. I am looking forward to the event on 26 May. It will definitely be spectacular.”
After defeating Japanese MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi and winning the inaugural women’s title in May of 2016, Lee became the youngest world champion in the history of mixed martial arts and the darling of the Asian MMA scene.
Today Lee is arguably Asian MMA’s biggest star and has her eyes set on solidifying her status as one of the most dominant champions in the sport today.
Lee is fresh off a spectacular performance against Chinese Taipei’s Jenny Huang last month in Bangkok, when she unveiled a new dimension of her game by out-striking Huang to win by third-round technical knockout. It was deemed the most comprehensive victory of the young Lee’s solid career.
ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium this 26 May. Additional bouts have yet to be announced.
