WOMEN'S MMA | Angela Lee and Mei Yamaguchi put on an amazing show at ONE: ASCENT TO POWER last Friday night, 6 May in Singapore (Photo : ONE Championship)
When ONE Championships presents an event to the world, they make sure to do so with 100-percent effort.
And that is exactly what every fighter who competed on the recent ONE: ASCENT TO POWER card from the Singapore Indoor Stadium did as well, including new champions Angela Lee and Roger Gracie.
Lee scored a decision over Mei Yamaguchi in the headlining fight to become the first-ever ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion, while Gracie finished Michal Pasternak in the co-main event to claim the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship.
Here's a recap of the best moments from a memorable night.
#1 Lee becomes a star on the biggest stage
With the world watching, the 19-year-old Lee did exactly what she said she would do: dominate. Lee controlled the veteran Yamaguchi throughout the entire championship fight, and showed that she isn't just a quick finisher.
In her previous five fights, Lee had never been pushed out of the second round, including three first-round submission wins to start her career. But Yamaguchi put her to the test, turning it into a five-round, 25-minute war that saw both ladies delight the masses.
Lee's stock is at an all-time high, and "Unstoppable" will be quite the force atop the female division for years to come.
#2 No shame in defeat for Yamaguchi
Yes, Yamaguchi was unable to defeat Lee, but she did much, much more than Lee's five previous opponents had.
The 33-year-old has shared the cage with some of the top talents in female MMA over the years, including Ayaka Hamasaki and Megumi Fujii, which just goes to show the level at which Lee operates now. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Yamaguchi, but she likely gained more respect and recognition for this setback than those fights combined by putting on such a great show.
There is no doubting that we are likely to see a rematch between these two down the road.
#3 Gracie adds to the family legacy
It was a prototypical Gracie performance, as the UFC and Strikeforce veteran scored a takedown, got the mount, and locked up an arm triangle to become the first fighter to defeat Pasternak, let alone submit him.
Being a Gracie means Roger carries plenty of expectations each and every time he competes, but that seems to only help fuel his fire. With the win, Roger became the first-ever Gracie MMA world champion as well.
In fact, shortly after scoring his second finish with ONE, Gracie admitted that he wants to go back to middleweight in hopes of becoming a two-division champion with ONE.
#4 Champion vs. champion contest goes to Jadambaa
It was billed as a meeting of former champions in two different weight divisions, but all that Narantungalag Jadambaa cared about was getting his hand raised.
Jadambaa, the former ONE Featherweight World Champion, did just that, catching Kotetsu Boku with a Von Flue choke in the third and final round after a spirited contest.
Boku, a former ONE Lightweight World Champion, was submitted for the first time since his loss to Shinya Aoki for the belt back in 2013.
Jadambaa likely positioned himself for a rematch with reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov, or a possible run at the lightweight title if he decides on that as his next step.
#5 An all-round great night for the Lee family
Angela Lee was not the only member of her family to compete at ONE: ASCENT TO POWER, as 17-year-old brother Christian scored an emphatic victory.
Much like his now-champion sister, Christian entered with expectations placed heavily on his shoulders to perform at the top of his abilities.
And once again Christian delivered, locking up a slick D'Arce choke inside of the first round on Cary Bullos to remain undefeated at 4-0, and notch four different stoppage wins in a row.
