“She’ll Always Be the Champion” – Alyse Anderson Sends Heartfelt Message to Divisional Queen Angela Lee

Published 04/26/2023, 1:53 AM EDT

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Like every other fighter in ONE’s stacked women’s atomweight MMA division, American phenom Alyse “Lil’ Savage” Anderson has her eyes set on divisional gold. 

On May 5, at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III, the American athlete will have the opportunity to take one massive step closer to that goal when she squares off with #1-ranked atomweight contender Stamp Fairtex. 

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Set to go down at 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado on ONE’s historic debut on U.S. soil, that pivotal showdown is one of the most anticipated of the blockbuster event, bringing together one of American MMA’s top talents and a Thai megastar

Alyse Anderson sympathizes with Victoria Lee’s demise

Anderson knows that with a win, she could jump the queue and find herself in a World Title fight sooner rather than later. 

However, she isn’t too keen to get herself into the world title picture as a respect to reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee, who lost her younger sister, Victoria Lee, late last year.

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Anderson is among those that feel an incredible sense of sympathy for the atomweight queen. 

With that in mind, she says she’s in no rush to challenge Lee for divisional gold, and the titleholder shouldn’t feel pressured to return to competition as her family continues to heal: 

“My thoughts and prayers are with Lee and her entire family. She should take as much time as she needs.”  

Moreover, the Michigan native believes that Lee should remain the World Champion while she and her family grieve the loss of her sister. 

Family comes first

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According to Anderson, family should always take priority over competition and title belts – and Lee has already proven herself as a true World Champion.

The MMA Masters representative said:

“I don’t think that she should have to vacate her belt or that she should. Because you know, she’ll always be the champion. And just to take as much time as she needs. Fighting will always be here, and she should just be with her family.” 

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Anderson enters her bout against former two-sport queen Stamp on the back of a first-round submission victory over Asha Roka. Her opponent, meanwhile, is on a streak of two successive wins after falling short in her World Title attempt to Lee at ONE X last year.

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Written by:

Mayur Soni

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Mayur Soni is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His journey as an MMA fan started with Conor McGregor’s historic 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo in 2015, which sparked his love for the sport. Since then, he has closely followed the sport and gained an in-depth understanding of its nuances, which reflects in his insightful and analytical writing.
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Edited by:

Rohini Kottu