Angela Lee became MMA’s youngest-ever world champion at 19 before trying to take her own life just one year later.Now, Lee runs Fightstory, a nonprofit mental health organisation inspired by the life of her younger sister, Victoria Lee, who died aged 18 as one of the most exciting young prospects in MMA.Lee outpointed Mei Yamaguchi in May 2016 to win the inaugural ONE women’s atomweight title and become the sport’s youngest-ever world championAFPIn May 2016, Lee was 19 years and nine months old when she defeated Mei Yamaguchi via unanimous decision to become the inaugural ONE Championship women’s atomweight titleholder and the world’s youngest-ever MMA champion.The win, in front of 11,000 adoring fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, extended Lee’s professional MMA record to 6-0, having debuted in the sport only one year prior.It was a whirlwind of a year for the youngster, who defended her title twice over the course of the next 12 months in the Asia-based promotion.Yamaguchi then got the chance to rematch Lee.The pair were expected to lock horns for the second time on November 24, 2017.However, 15 days before the highly anticipated rematch, news emerged that Lee had been involved in a car crash, and the fight was postponed.ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong wrote on social media at the time that his fighter was driving to training when she fell asleep at the wheel, adding Lee suffered a concussion and minor burns.Six years later, Lee revealed that her crash wasn’t an accident.Angela Lee on mental health struggles“My car accident on November 6, 2017, was not an accident; it was a suicide attempt,” Lee explained in September 2023, giving her Fightstory.“For the longest time, I blocked this out of my mind. It’s been six years, and although I’ve done a lot of growing and healing since then, it’s still difficult to think about, let alone talk about.Lee was living the dream as a 19-year-old world champion in 2017GettyBut mental health problems after her world title win led the MMA star to crashing her carAFP“Because even after my attempt, I was still too afraid to say what I was feeling.”Lee went on to explain how she was ‘living the dream’ as an undefeated world champion in 2017, having also got engaged ahead of her third world title defence.She said it was difficult to go on as normal after the crash, as no one really knew what happened, but after finding time to heal, things eventually got better.Lee bounced back from adversity to overcome Yamaguchi for the second time in their May 2018 rematch.She traded two wins with two defeats in the next four years, before fighting Jingnan Xiong in September 2022.Xiong won the bout via unanimous decision in Lee’s final MMA bout, as she wound up announcing her retirement under tragic circumstances one year later.Why did Lee retire?“It wasn’t a single moment I would say,” Lee said on the MMA Hour one month later, speaking about her decision to retire. Lee retired in September 2023 following the tragic death of her younger sisterGettyThe 29-year-old said she would’ve been compromising her health if she returned to the sportGetty“Because for me, after [my sister’s death], everything has changed. I tried to do some things like I used to do before. “I tried to go back into the gym. I tried to do a training session. Just all of these memories and mixed emotions started coming up, and I just knew that I was not in a place to put myself back in the cage and in the spotlight in that kind of way.“I would be compromising my health if I were to do that, so I just knew that my heart wasn’t in it fully, and if that’s not in alignment, then why am I doing it? There’s no reason to.”Lee’s Fightstory now partners with the UFCIn the years since her retirement, Lee has founded a nonprofit mental health organisation in honour of her late sister.Fightstory is a platform where fighters unite to revolutionise combat sports, inspire hope, and champion a global movement for mental and physical wellness.In May this year, the UFC announced a partnership with Fightstory as its official charitable corporate partner. View this post on Instagram The nonprofit said it will develop ‘impactful new initiatives’ with the support of Dana White‘s promotion, with a long-term vision to ‘spark a global movement’ that puts mental training on par with physical training.UFC lightweight Jared Gordon, coach Mike Bayer and Lee’s husband, two-time No-Gi world champion Bruno Pucci, are all directors of the company.“Mental health has always been my greatest challenge. I’ve faced issues with addiction, depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts,” Gordon said at the time of the announcement.“My goal is to save lives, help people, and make them feel like they’re not alone and can get help. “Life at times is not easy, but when I’m around people who talk about it, my life gets way better. That’s why I’m proud to be part of Fightstory.”For more information and to view a full list of resources for help, visit Fightstory’s website here.Lee’s brother, Christian Lee, middle, won the ONE lightweight title in May 2019, making the pair the first sister-brother world champion pair in MMAGettyAnyone can contact Samaritans free, anytime. Youcan call on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org for more information.