After putting all her focus on family, Angela Lee ready to take names in the Circle again (Sabong News)

Angela Lee has had several momentous victories in her mixed martial arts career. But given her journey into motherhood that momentarily put sports in the back seat, the long-reigning ONE Atomweight World Champion considers her fight this weekend as a milestone on its own. “Unstoppable’s” return from a two-plus year absence is a compelling storyline to follow as she defends her belt against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Champion Stamp Fairtex in the main event of ONE X this Saturday, March 26. “This is definitely the biggest fight of my career. I mean, [Stamp] has her credentials. She’s a World Champion as well in the striking arts. But, you know, mixed martial arts is a whole new game,” Lee said ahead of their battle at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. “She’s a dangerous opponent. She’s fought her way to the #1 contender position. And now it’s time to meet each other in a cage.” There are a lot of questions surrounding the 25-year-old titleholder’s return, especially against Stamp, who has won World Titles in Muay Thai and kickboxing. While the Singaporean-American was focused on being a first-time mother, the Fairtex superstar was making her way up the MMA ranks, culminating in a sizzling Grand Prix run where her grappling became effective and her striking stayed dangerous. Lee is considered one of the best mixed martial artists in the world, but it remains to be seen if she can regain her World Championship form against her rising challenger. But for the Evolve and United MMA standout, she’s forged a path back to the Circle on her own terms, unmindful of such skepticism. “I wasn’t really too focused on the doubters or haters or what anyone was thinking about. I was just thinking about getting healthy. You know, getting back in there? And so for me, I’m really impressed with the woman’s body,” she said. “It’s just incredible, and it’s like, way more than I expected because I didn’t know what to expect when I was pregnant. I’ve never been a mom before, and I’ve never gone through this. So it was definitely something I was nervous about how I could bounce back.” The key for “Unstoppable” has been patience and dedication, as she acknowledges there were times early in her recovery when she struggled. But here she is now with her confidence unshaken and a headline bout at one of the biggest fight cards in history. “The first six months, like, I was very unsure of myself. I was like, I don’t know, I just felt like not in my own body,” she added. “So just giving myself patience was extremely necessary, so that I was able to make a proper recovery. And now here we are, in fight shape, just days away from fighting. So it’s been a crazy journey.”