One Championship will be celebrating the life of the late mixed martial arts fighter Victoria Lee with an annual scholarship for young fighters under the age of 18.
The MMA promotion made the announcement on May 17, on what would have been Victoria Lee's 19th birthday.
Victoria Lee died on Dec. 26, 2022 in Hawaii. The cause of death was not revealed.
Chatri Sityodtong, the promotion's chief executive officer and chairman, said in a Facebook post that the late fighter shall be remembered by performing acts of kindness, as he paid tribute to her.
He wrote: “Angela, her family, and I have had multiple discussions over the last several months on the best way to honour Victoria’s life.”
"She always looked after others before herself. She wanted to use her life to help the world. I will always remember Victoria for the beautiful and precious soul that she was,” he added.
Victoria Lee Day
Chatri also said One will celebrate Victoria Lee Day every Jan. 13, the date that would have been Victoria Lee's next fight.
"The Lee family and I kindly ask athletes and fans to show random acts of kindness every Jan. 13 in honour of Victoria," he wrote.
Victoria Lee Award
One Championship will give out the Victoria Lee Award every year to an athlete who “goes above and beyond the call of duty in giving back to his/ her community through charitable efforts and contributions”, he added.
The first recipient will be named later in 2023.
Scholarship in her name
On top of that, Evolve MMA will award scholarships to deserving youths who wish to pursue martial arts.
The pool of candidates will be selected from youth and amateur MMA organisations around the world.
Applicants are requested to submit an essay on why they are deserving of the Victoria Lee Scholarship and why they wish to help continue her legacy.
Applicants must be under 18 years of age.
Separately, Angela Lee paid tribute to her late younger sister in a post.
Background
Victoria Lee was seen as a promising MMA star after making her debut at One Championship’s Fists of Fury event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in February 2021.
The event was held three months before her 17th birthday.
She beat Thai fighter Sunisa Srisen via a rear-naked choke submission in her debut fight.
She went on to win her next two fights.
Her last match was in September 2021, before she took a hiatus of over 15 months.
News of her death at age 18 shocked and saddened the MMA world.
https://mothership.sg/2023/05/victoria-lee-scholarship/
