“You’re gonna get that belt back” - Angela Lee shares what she told Smilla Sundell after getting stripped of Muay Thai gold
Retired ONE Championship superstar Angela Lee was among those who gave their support to teen phenom Smilla Sundell after she lost the women's strawweight Muay Thai world title in May for missing weight. She comforted the young fighter while also highlighting the need to prioritize one's health in the conversation that they had.
'The Hurricane' was set to defend the strawweight Muay Thai gold at ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3 against Russian challenger Natalia Diachova but she was forced to vacate the belt after missing weight. The fight still pushed through but at a catchweight of 126.5 pounds, with Sundelll winning by TKO in the second round.
In her session on Demetrious Johnson's "Mighty" podcast, which was uploaded on YouTube on Wednesday, Angela Lee shared what she told Sundell when she heard of the news that she was stripped of her world title, anchored on the importance of valuing health first.
The former atomweight MMA world champion said:
"Actually, something just came up in the news in ONE Championship with Smilla losing her belt because she missed weight. And so I sent her a message. I said, like, hey, you know, like something like this happened to me, like I was willing to risk my life before I was, you know, before I would risk not making weight.
"Yep. And I told her, like, hey, like, I hope you and your team and your family just always put your health as a priority first. You know, like you're gonna get that belt back. And yeah, just be healthy about it, you know."
Check out what she had to say below:
Before losing her world title, Sundell was able to defend it once, against the atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in September last year.
Angela Lee urges fighters to plan for their future wisely
Apart from championing the value of one's health, both physically and mentally, Angela Lee also urges fighters to plan wisely their life after competition.
She touched on this during her session on the 'Mighty' podcast of MMA legend and ONE flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, underscoring the need for fighters to make good use of their time competing to save and invest in themselves for them to truly enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Angela Lee said:
"I think it's like, you know, that window of time that you have while you're fighting. It's like, you gotta make the most of it because after the fact, like, what are you gonna go into? And that's why so many people, you know, so many fighters, they'll go back, they'll retire, they go back fighting."
Angela Lee called it a career in September last year after eight years competing in ONE Championship. The reason was her desire to focus on the next chapter of her life, including as mother to daughter Ava Marie.