CNN reported on the 9th (local time) that Victoria Lee (Korean name Lee Sun-hee), a mixed martial arts prodigy, died at the young age of 18. Lee is an Asian American born to a Korean-Canadian mother and a Chinese-Singaporean father.
Lee’s older sister Angela announced on Instagram on the 7th of this month that Lee passed away on December 26 last year. “Lee left too soon,” said her sister. After his death, my family was completely grieved. Life will never be the same,” she revealed. However, the cause of death was not disclosed.
At the age of 16, Lee signed a contract with the mixed martial arts organization ‘One Championship’ and set a record as the youngest fighter ever. Active in his hometown of Hawaii, he won the ‘Hawaii Pankration Junior World Champion’, ‘Hawaii State Wrestling Champion’, and ‘IMMAF Junior Champion’ one following another.
In September of last year, he once more drew attention by knocking out Brazilian player Victoria Suza by TKO, and since then, he has been on a break to focus on graduating from high school.
Lee’s family is famous for being a ‘fighting family’. His older sister, Ann Gella Lee, and her brother, Christian Lee, are also top players in the One Championship.
Lee also debuted on the pro stage last year under the influence of his family and won three consecutive victories as soon as he competed. In an interview regarding her previous matches, Lee revealed that her siblings are her biggest source of inspiration.
“I met Victoria for the first time when she was 11 years old and have watched him grow as a martial artist and a person,” said One Championship CEO Chatri Sityottong. “He was an extraordinary martial arts prodigy, but he had something more than that.” I mourned Goh Lee’s death.
Reporter Kwon Yoon-hee