Angela Lee vs Istela Nunes title encounter promises to be monumental clash at One: Dynasty of Heroes

Angela Lee will face Istela Nunes at One: Dynasty of Heroes on 26 May in Singapore.

Lee vs Nunes
Lee will face Brazil's Istela Nunes at One: Dynasty of Heroes One Championship

While men have had much to do with the prominence of mixed martial arts (MMA) around the globe, women have managed to tear down gender barriers and break records that their counterparts have yet to reach.

Women's MMA has only been around for a few years now, but many female competitors have already emerged above the rest as groundbreaking superstars because Eve's spawns are as skilled as men and have delivered numerous unforgettable moments throughout its short history.

Many female fighters have made a huge impact on MMA, helping the entire sport to achieve insurmountable success and creating memorable encounters inside the cage.

As ONE Championship returns to its home-base of Singapore on 26 May, its headlining bout promises to cement the status of women's MMA scene as a worldwide staple.

ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion Angela "Unstoppable" Lee is set to square off with Brazil's Istela Nunes in the main event of One: Dynasty of Heroes, which takes place at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium.

"We're now heading in our own turf of Singapore with the event on 26th of May. I would say this is probably our biggest card that we've ever had in terms of our championship titles and in terms of the significance for the sport," ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui stated.

"We have an absolutely stacked card from top to bottom planned for Singapore, and it will be a night fans will not want to miss," he added.

Considered as the face of women's MMA in Asia, Lee is one of ONE Championship's most outstanding athletes regardless of gender or weight class.

The 20-year-old MMA sensation made history in May 2016 by capturing the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight World Championship belt with an awe-inspiring victory over Mei Yamaguchi.

Lee's beautiful combination of elite striking and grappling skills has proven to be a potent formula for success as she has remained unbeaten inside the ONE Championship cage.

In her last trip to the cage, Lee dominated top contender Jenny Huang of Chinese Taipei with a masterful display of striking to successfully defend her gold-plated strap.

"Angela Lee, ever the true champion and warrior, just came off a thrilling performance a little over two months ago. She is already raring to get back inside the ONE Championship cage to perform for her hometown crowd," Cui said of Lee.

In the other corner, Nunes is a two-time Muay Thai world champion with an unblemished 6-0 professional win-loss record.

Nunes' exciting style and knack for delivering powerful strikes makes for exciting fights and is one of the biggest components of her game.

The 24-year-old Brazilian striker took on top-rated female atomweight Mei Yamaguchi in her last outing, winning a closely-contested split decision.

At her best, Nunes is a well-rounded combatant with a solid striking and grappling skillset that gave her two career wins by finish.

Despite her young age and the ever-increasing pressures around her, Lee is still loving life of being the champion, admitting that she looks forward to her next world title defense.

"I'm very excited to be jumping back into the cage and defending my title for the second time. My last training camp for my first title defense was great. This one is going to be even better. It's always a treat for me fighting in Singapore as I have great support from all my family and friends," she said.

Meanwhile, Nunes is relishing not just her underdog status when she takes on the highly-popular Lee but also the pressure of the scheduled five-round championship clash.

"I like to fight my enemies under pressure – it is where I feel most comfortable fighting. There's a good reason why Angela is where she is and it doesn't matter how she comes at me. I'm going to be ready for her. I believe it's the best time for a title shot. I'm looking forward to it," Nunes guaranteed.

READ MORE