ONE Championship 129: 16-year-old Victoria Lee predicts first-round finish in pro debut

There was a brief moment where you could almost hear the cogs turning in Victoria Lee’s head, but the young Hawaiian newcomer decided to go for it and make a bold prediction for her ONE Championship debut.

“I think that this is going to be a fast-paced match, and I … I think it’s going to be a first-round finish.”

Lee (0-0), the 16-year-old younger sister of current ONE champions Angela and Christian Lee, is all set to make her promotional debut at “ONE Championship 129: Fists of Fury,” where she’ll feature in the card’s only MMA bout against Thailand’s Sunisa Srisen. The event takes place Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium, and streams on B/R Live.

Taking part in a virtual media day session ahead of her bout, Lee faced a barrage of questions about her famous fighting family, following in the footsteps of her siblings, and being coached by her father. But perhaps the most revealing moment came at the end of the session when she revealed how she thinks her bout with Srisen (4-1) will play out on fight night.

Lee’s response suggested she’s heading into the bout with plenty of confidence, despite the fact that she’s set to make the walk for her first professional fight with considerably more attention than most debutants. As the sister of two current ONE champions, the spotlight is firmly on her as she looks to kick off her career with victory over an opponent who has lost just once in five professional outings and boasts three finishes to her name.

“I’ve watched both her amateur and professional fights, and I think she’s a tough opponent,” Lee admitted. “She seems to have a lot of aggressive striking, and her strength is her judo, but I am confident in my skills and I believe that I have what it takes to finish this fight. I plan on showcasing all of my skills – my striking, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and I plan on finishing the fight wherever it may be. But I don’t feel pressured by my brothers and sisters (to win by submission), I just feel confident in my ground game.”

As for the pressure, Lee admitted she’s feeling the burden of expectation as she prepares for her first pro bout, but she’s happy to have plenty of experience in her corner.

“Ahead of my debut I’m feeling so many mixed emotions, but mainly I’m excited and I’m very ready to showcase my skills,” she said. “I think it would be impossible not to feel pressure (with my siblings’ achievements), but I try my best. My family’s very supportive of me and they help me to just focus on my own journey, and this is just the beginning for me.”

While following in the footsteps of successful siblings can be a tough task, Lee said she’s picked up plenty of advice and good habits from Christian and Angela, as well as from her father Ken, who coaches the trio from their self-managed family gym, United BJJ, in Hawaii.

“My dad is also my coach, so he’s given me plenty of coaching advice as well as ‘dad advice,’ she explained. “But mainly he’s told me to just remember to have gratitude and enjoy this whole process because this is my dream and it’s happening and just take it all in.

“Both my brother and sister have offered me so much valuable advice. I know I can always go to them and they’ll have the right answers because they’ve been in my shoes before. They know what it’s like making their debuts so young. They just told me to enjoy this whole process, just like my dad, and suggested to stay strong in your mind because that’s probably the most important thing competing at such a young age.”

It’s rare to start a professional career under such intense scrutiny, but with her family around her and the benefit of watching her two siblings make it all the way to the top of ONE Championship, Lee knows that she has a clear template to follow if she hopes to achieve the same.

“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned from both of them – watching them train, watching them compete – is just seeing their hard work and dedication and all the time they put in, really just seeing that pay off,” she said. “It really just inspires me to follow in their footsteps.”