Angela's retirement
Given the huge impact Victoria's death had on his family, his reaction was not entirely unexpected.
The Lee family later closed their United MMA gym in Hawaii.
It was a decision made by his father, Ken Lee, a Singaporean martial artist with black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Pankration and Taekwondo.
In September 2023, Angela revealed in an online article on The Players' Tribune website that she had attempted suicide in 2017 while facing immense pressure, expectations and personal challenges.
The website features first-person stories and letters from athletes, and Angela's article was titled “Resilient.” She wrote that she had pushed her mind and body to their limits at the time, and that her November 2017 car crash was not an accident.
Angela highlighted how even people who appear strong and successful face hidden struggles, stressing that mental illness can happen to anyone and urged people to reach out for help and not suffer in silence.
Following her retirement, Angela founded the non-profit mental health charity Fight Story in Victoria's honour, which works to promote mental health in the global martial arts community.
Adrian said Angela is no longer involved in MMA. “I think it's great that my sister is starting a new path with her fight story and wants to inspire others to talk openly about mental health.”
The family gym has also reopened as the Prodigy Training Centre, where Adrian has been training for the fight, and over the past eight months he has gone above and beyond his usual training to prepare for his debut.
He had three training sessions almost every day, with each session lasting around two to three hours.
Adrian said staying focused at the gym helps him maintain his mental health.
“I love MMA so I put all my effort into it. It's what I'm familiar with and it's my lifestyle.”
He feels fortunate to have made his debut under the tutelage of his older brother Christian, who has guided him to be disciplined and stay on the right path.
Christian currently holds both the One lightweight and welterweight world titles, becoming the youngest male world champion in One Championship history when he achieved this milestone at age 20.
Adrian said: “One piece of advice he gave me that I always remember is to stay focused on the game plan because there's a lot that comes with MMA, with the media, with photo ops and stuff.”
“I need to remember what I came here for, which is to fight.”
I'm looking forward to
So what's next for Adrian? After his win against Mammarella, he told me he wants to become lightweight and welterweight champion, just like his brother.
Adrian's parents also fully support their youngest son and constantly check in on his mental and physical wellbeing.
“My parents support me by buying healthy groceries, which helps me manage my weight. Sticking to a healthy diet can be hard at first, but now it's very easy to stay disciplined.”
To get a better idea of what Adrian's diet looks like as he aims to become a world champion at 18 years old, let's take a look at what he's been eating since he was 15: a variety of protein sources, vegetables, and grains, and no fried or processed foods.
Still, he enjoys eating carbs like pizza and French bread on his “cheat” days.
“Usually I allow myself to eat whatever I want on that day and then stick to it once I get back into a healthy diet.”
He has a clear goal and pursues it with unwavering dedication. I doubt I would have the same level of determination if I were in his shoes.
Adrian's advice to young aspiring fighters who dream of a career in mixed martial arts is: “If you have the passion, motivation and will to win, you can achieve your dreams and goals in mixed martial arts.”
