Will Mei Yamaguchi Get Her Trilogy With Angela Lee?
Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi made the most of her opportunity to compete in front of a packed Japanese home crowd at ONE: CENTURY PART II.
On Sunday, 13 October, the Tokyo native edged out Jenny “Lady GoGo” Huang by unanimous decision and continued her climb up the atomweight division ladder.
Yamaguchi – a DEEP Jewels Featherweight World Champion – battled hard against Huang, and she is grateful to have clinched the victory in front of her compatriots.
“I’m so happy to perform in my hometown,” the 36-year-old said. “I had a lot of friends and family cheering for me today. Of course, they’re people who watch ONE Championship on the app all the time, but today, they were able to see it live, so that was a very exciting thing for an athlete.”
Since her loss to ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee at ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS in May 2018, “V.V” has rattled off four remarkable wins.
In light of her recent performances, Yamaguchi believes she deserves a showdown with the atomweight queen.
“I won this fight, so that’s four wins in a row,” she said. “I really want to challenge Angela Lee for the Atomweight World Title.
Even though ONE has a deep pool of atomweights, Yamaguchi’s streak places her at the top of the division and well within Lee’s sights.
The two women have an exciting history in The Home Of Martial Arts. Their rivalry dates to May 2016, when both athletes battled for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship.
Their May 2018 rematch was another back-and-forth thriller – but in both instances, Lee won by unanimous decision.
But it may take a while for “V.V” to get her third bout with “Unstoppable.” The Singaporean just redeemed herself against long-time rival “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan at ONE: CENTURY PART I.
With the score now even between those two, Lee welcomes a rubber match with Xiong for the Chinese athlete’s ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title.
Despite Lee’s current focus on Xiong, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong does not rule out “V.V” from getting the trilogy she hopes for.
“I’ll talk to Angela, but I support [Lee vs. Yamaguchi III]. I think it would be a great fight again,” Sityodtong said. “Let her celebrate and enjoy her vacation first, [and then we will decide].”
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