Could Angela Lee Join the UFC? Exploring the Possibilities
Angela Lee said in an August 2024 interview that competing in the UFC had crossed her mind during her career, but she did not announce plans to return to fighting or pursue a UFC contract. Lee had retired from mixed martial arts in September 2023, vacating her ONE Championship atomweight title and turning her attention to family and mental-health advocacy through FightStory.
What Lee actually said
Speaking with Demetrious Johnson on MightyCast, Lee reflected on whether she could have competed in the UFC. She said the idea had crossed her mind while watching top fighters in other organizations. That was a retrospective observation, not a comeback announcement. The August 2024 conversation ranged across her ONE career, the pressures of competition and her mental-health advocacy.
Lee became one of ONE Championship’s defining athletes. She won the promotion’s inaugural women’s atomweight world championship in 2016 and held the title through multiple defenses before announcing her retirement at ONE Fight Night 14 on September 30, 2023. Her championship was vacated, and Stamp Fairtex won the vacant undisputed title that night against Ham Seo Hee, as ONE Championship reported.
Why a UFC move remains hypothetical
The UFC does not have a women’s atomweight division, so any hypothetical signing would mean a different weight class as well as a decision by Lee to resume her career. No such move was announced.
Lee’s comments invite a “what if” discussion about how she might have matched up with UFC talent, but the confirmed news was her reflection on the idea—not a return to competition. Her title career in ONE and work outside the cage stand on their own.
Sources
Sources: MMA Mania on Lee’s UFC comments; ONE Championship on Lee’s retirement and Stamp’s title win; FightStory; full interview: MightyCast with Demetrious Johnson.
Tags
MMA, Combat Sports
