Every January 14 will be “Victoria Lee Day” says ONE Championship CEO
Plans for “Victoria Lee Day” are underway
On the heels of the tragic passing of 18-year-old mixed martial artist and ONE Championship fighter Victoria Lee, the promotion’s CEO Chatri Sityodtong has hinted towards plans to keep her memory alive.
This past Saturday at ONE Fight Night 6 in Bangkok, Thailand, Sityodtong and the ONE organization paid tribute to Lee who died late last year.
“I didn’t have anything prepared or planned,” Chatri told the South China Morning Post in an interview as he discussed going on with the show just a few short weeks after Lee’s death. “I knew that he [commentator Brent Stover] was going to ask me about Victoria, but I didn’t know I was going to address the stadium or the viewership around the world.
“I just spoke from the heart. It’s still rough. I just talked on messenger with [Victoria’s mother] Jewelz and [elder brother] Christian. I’m in daily contact with the family, and I’m thinking now that January 14 is probably going to be Victoria Lee Day forever with ONE Championship.”
Known as “The Prodigy,” Victoria Lee was the youngest fighter to sign to ONE Championship. She fought three times during the 2021 calendar year and finished all her fights in the first or second rounds.
She took 2022 off from fighting to focus on graduating from high school in Hawaii, where the family are based, and was set to return at last weekend’s card against India’s Zeba Bano.
“Angela and I are figuring out a way to [honor her],” Chatri added after stating that he and Victoria’s older sister Angela were discussing future plans.
“Is it a scholarship? Is it an award? What is it exactly we want to communicate. But the legacy Victoria left behind is one of kindness, selflessness, authenticity, generosity, and a desire to do good in the world.
“That’s something we want to keep alive and use our platform so that it echoes.
“I want to help the family channel their pain into something Victoria would be proud of, so her impact on the world is something she would have envisioned, that’s kind of my mindset right now.”
Last week, United MMA Hawaii, owned and operated by the Lee Family, let their members know that they were closing their doors forever.
