“Unstoppable” Angela Lee takes her 4-0 record to Jakarta, Indonesia on 20 February for ONE: TRIBE OF WARRIORS, with the opportunity to showcase her growing skill set.
Even in a sport where women have captured the imagination of fight fans in a way that few could have predicted, Lee’s rise in popularity has been a highlight. From a fighting family, her pedigree as a mixed martial artist of substance isn’t in dispute. That she has the bright smile and sparkling eyes to make you smile back, no matter how grim your day may seem, hardly hinders her appeal.
The 19-year-old seems every bit as youthful as you might expect in person and on social media, but in the cage she has schooled battle-hardened women with an eye-catching array of submission moves. She even had my co-commentator Mitch Chilson seeking confirmation of an appropriate call (that’s right, Peruvian neck ties aren’t what you wear to a wine luncheon in Lima).
I was hoping to get a quick chat with the new face of Asian women’s MMA before putting finger to keyboard, but a bout of flu for the strawweight changed our plans. Let’s hope it doesn’t interfere with the preparation for her fight at the Istora Senayan.
Her opponent is Rebecca Heintzman of the United States. Ten years older than Lee, the New Yorker has a 2-1 record, following six unbeaten fights as an amateur.
In a story run by Fox 40 HD News in the US, Heintzman described herself as competitive, intense, and driven. In the clinch she’s certainly strong, with three rear-naked-choke wins in her career, one as a professional. She’ll need to be comfortable on the ground, as that’s where Lee has proved herself as world-class, with all four of her professional wins coming via submission.
Nonetheless, this bout might be an opportunity for Lee to show her fans that she also has punching power. Heintzman holds her head very high while boxing but doesn’t compensate with a high enough guard, especially when on the back foot. Instead, she leans backwards and out of range, seemingly more with preservation-inspired concern than the self assurance of someone who trusts her reflexes.
The 29-year-old’s head is even more exposed when she throws punches, meaning a crisp counter-attack from Lee is one likely way for the fight to end.
Lee absorbed a quicker and more compact stand-up attack than Heintzman’s when she beat the excellent Lena Tkhorevska last December. If Lee wants to jump up a couple of rungs on the ladder by showing us something new with her fists, this is her big chance.
The women’s game isn’t blessed with a hot supply of power punching, but we’ve seen how devastating it can be when someone like Irina Mazepa unloads with ferocity.
The Singapore-based Hawaiian may be able to contribute to her highlight reel with strikes, but if she sees the win coming via submission, she won’t hesitate.
Courtesy of: Yahoo Sports