Lee: Rematch vs Yamaguchi ‘will be one for the books’

Photo from ONE Championship

SINGAPORE—Angela Lee and Mei Ymaguchi produced an instant classic back in 2016 when they fought through five rounds for the ONE atomweight belt.

Singapore’s Lee became the inaugural atomweight champion after edging Yamaguchi via unanimous decision in a brawl that solidified both her and Yamaguchi’s status as premier fighters in the promotion.

Two years after their first fight, which turned out to be the Fight of the Year, Lee and Yamaguchi will meet in the cage again.

The rematch will Lee’s third title defense and the champion vowed that the sequel will be better than the first.

“This fight will be one for the books,” said Lee Monday at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre after the press conference for the Unstoppable Dreams card that she and Yamaguchi will headline.

“I think that fight, it was Fight of the Year for a reason, and we both showed a lot of heart, grit, and determination. We won a lot of respect from that fight.”

Lee didn’t want to predict how the bout could go, but she did promise that fireworks will go off on Friday.

“This time around it’s going to be different,” said Lee, who holds an 8-0 record. “We’re both going to give the best we can on the table and we’ve both made improvements since then. I know she has and I also definitely did.”