MMA prospect Victoria Lee died at age 18 in December 2022, and the last woman to face her inside the ONE Championship cage was shocked to hear the news.
Victoria Souza, who returns to the ONE ring Saturday against Linda Darrow in Thailand, said on this week’s Trocacao Franca podcast she was “very sad” when she saw Angela Lee announce the death of her younger sister on Jan. 7, nearly 10 days after she had passed away.
” I was so sad for her family, Souza stated. “I have a little sister who’s 20 and she’s like a little baby to me. It’s hard to imagine how the family of that .”
child must feel.
Lee beat Souza via second-round TKO in September 2021 to improve to 3-0 in a span of seven months as a professional MMA fighter, and the Brazilian expected to meet her a second time later in their careers.
” I thought that I would fight more at ONE, and then we’d have the chance to rematch later on. But unfortunately it won’t happen,” Souza stated. “She was so talented and had a brilliant future. To lose a 18-year-old girl like that must have crushed her entire family. I couldn’t believe it.”
Angela Lee and Christian Lee (both champions at ONE) have not revealed the reason for their deaths.
“I wish God has welcomed her,” Souza said. “There are no words to comfort the family. I lost an aunt last month and it’s so sad to lose a member of the family like that. There is no way to put it into words
Souza was making her ONE debut at the time after winning five in a row in the Brazilian circuit, and returns to Asia five months after scoring a 82-second stoppage in her native country.
“I’m super excited and prepared for this fight,” Souza said. “My game was very limited when I fought at ONE, I didn’t let things go. It was my first time fighting for an international promotion, and I more free now. I’ll let things go and be more aggressive.”
Souza said she was “more cautious” in her ONE debut because “they score the fight entirely instead of round by round, so I didn’t take many chances.” Used to the ruleset now, “Vick” plans on being more aggressive Saturday.
” I feel more confident now,” Souza stated. “I have seen all of her fights, and I can see that she is able to win the fight fast. But so am I. Both of us can end the fight quickly, but her game is better than mine. She has never fought a girl as me .”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/24/23610505/one-victoria-lee-victoria-souza-heartbroken-death-mma-prospect?rand=96749
