Still only 18 years old, Victoria “The Prodigy” Lee has showcased tremendous heart and skills in her brief ONE Championship career thus far.
The Hawaii-based phenom is the youngest of the Lee siblings currently signed to the organization. And her family name comes with a certain amount of pressure to perform, given that her brother Christian Lee is the former ONE lightweight world champion, and her sister Angela Lee is the reigning ONE women’s atomweight world champion.
“The Prodigy,” however, hasn’t seemed fazed by this. Instead, she has composed herself with a maturity beyond her years every time she has stepped into the ONE circle, helping her earn a perfect 3-0 record with a three stoppages.
Lee undoubtedly has a bright future, but she refuses to get ahead of herself.
“My long-term goal is to eventually become a ONE world champion. But in the meantime, I’m just trying to improve my skills and become a better martial artist every day,” she said,
This approach has worked well for her so far.
When Lee made her MMA debut at “ONE: Fists of Fury” in February 2021, she showcased her vast grappling skills and took the action to the ground, where she eventually forced Sunisa Srisen to tap out in the second round.
“The Prodigy,” who is a Hawaii State Wrestling Champion and Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt, was pleased with her performance. However, she also recognizes that she could have done more to announce herself to the world.
“My debut went well, but it could’ve also gone better,” she admitted.
Intent on exhibiting her arsenal further, Lee returned to the ONE circle five months later at “ONE: Battleground” with more fire.
This time, the teenage sensation brought in her striking and combined it with her potent grappling. Ultimately, she forced “Little Sprouts” Wang Lu Ping to submit in the opening stanza via a triangle armbar.
For Lee’s third outing at “ONE: Revolution” in September 2021, she faced her toughest test yet in the form of Victoria Souza. The Hawaiian’s complete arsenal kept her in control throughout the bout, and she went on to score the first TKO win of her burgeoning career.
Now confirmed as an all-around threat, the 18-year-old star is becoming comfortable with the bright lights of ONE’s global stage. She is a Lee, after all, and her older siblings have been there throughout her rise to stardom to show her how to prepare to be the best – and compose herself accordingly.
“My brother and sister are both super supportive of me, and they helped me in so many ways,” Lee said.
“Being able to experience watching them train during their fight camps and watching them fight and compete really shows me how much work ethic and dedication goes into becoming a professional athlete.”
In a loving show of appreciation for their assistance, “The Prodigy” has established somewhat of a ritual for every time Christian and Angela are in action.
When either of her siblings step into the ONE circle, Victoria steps into the kitchen to whip up her family’s favorite dessert.
“I love to bake them cheesecakes,” she said.
“The Prodigy” now awaits the call for her fourth outing, as she looks to extend her unbeaten run and move closer to the top of the stacked women’s atomweight division.
In the meantime, her brother, Christian, will rematch Ok Rae Yoon for the ONE lightweight world title at ONE 160 on August 26.
