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MMA world pays tribute after 'precious soul' Victoria Lee dies aged 18

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Victoria Lee went 3-0 in ONE Championship. Handout photo." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/tvpatrol/01/09/victoria-lee.jpg"/><figcaption>Victoria Lee went 3-0 in ONE Championship. <em>Handout photo.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SINGAPORE -- The death of 18-year-old rising MMA star Victoria &quot;The Prodigy&quot; Lee, announced at the weekend, has prompted an outpouring of tributes from people associated with the sport.</p><p>Asia-based ONE MMA Championship chief Chatri Sityodtong said he was &quot;heartbroken&quot; by Lee&#x27;s passing and that he would remember her &quot;for the beautiful and precious soul that she was.&quot;</p><p>Lee came from a family of champion MMA fighters -- her older sister Angela is the ONE Championship atomweight world title holder while her brother Christian holds the ONE lightweight title.</p><p>&quot;I first met Victoria when she was 11 years old. I watched her blossom over the years as a martial artist and a human being,&quot; Sityodtong wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/ChatriSityodtong/posts/pfbid05NzcwNPaU6mGn83KoDTWisZSMZdWBUBTUSGKkGaAFUEHdQMBME57KFeXLayLnajSl" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Indian-Canadian mixed martial arts star Gurdarshan Mangat tweeted: &quot;This one is tough. Her energy was felt whether you knew her or not. </p><p>&quot;She was destined for greatness. I just pray she knew that before she left us. That she truly was a light.&quot; </p><p>Lee died on Boxing Day but was only announced late Saturday by her sister Angela on Instagram.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/08/23/mma-one-championship-fighter-victoria-lee-passes-away">READ: ONE Championship fighter Victoria Lee passes away</a></li></ul><p>&quot;We miss you so much sis. More than you could ever realize,&quot; Angela wrote.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re all broken. Because a piece of you was in each of us and when you left, those pieces were ripped out of us. We will never be the same.&quot;</p><p>The cause of death was not revealed by her family.</p><p>Lee was born and raised in Hawaii to a Singaporean father and South Korean-Canadian mother and fought under the Singapore flag.</p><p>She had her first MMA fight at 16 and her last bout was in September 2021.</p><p>According to the ONE website, the young Lee had put competition on the back burner in 2022 to focus on graduating from high school, but she had planned to make a big return in 2023.</p><p>Lee had a close relationship with her siblings, baking treats after each of their victories.</p><p>&quot;This time he requested a banana cake. So, as soon as we finished watching the fight, I was in the kitchen baking for him,&quot; she was quoted as saying in the ONE website after her brother won a title match recently.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

The death of 18-year-old rising MMA star Victoria 'The Prodigy' Lee has prompted an outpouring of tributes from people associated with the sport.