Through new endeavor, Mililani’s Angela Lee Pucci shares her story

Content warning: This story mentions suicide.

In an emotional story with the The Players’ Tribune, Mililani alumna and ONE Championship MMA star Angela Lee Pucci shared that she had tried to take her own life in 2017.

Lee Pucci explained that although she had many things in her life working in her favor, such as her engagement and upcoming marriage with her now-husband Bruno Pucci, as well as the fact she was the youngest-MMA world champion at 19, she was struggling to make weight for her upcoming fight under ONE protocol, which involves a gradual process.

Lee Pucci had a strong sense that she would not make weight for her fight, putting her unblemished record at the time in jeopardy. Because she feared that everything in her life would crumble as a result of the fight, she attempted to drive her car to her death. A single-car crash left her injured but still alive.

Although it was a challenge for her to open up to her husband and her loved ones, Lee Pucci shared that over time, she began to do so more often, culminating with the launch of Fightstory, a resource where combat sport athletes are able to share their struggles in hopes of finding hope, help and mental health resources.

Fightstory was inspired by the death of Victoria Lee, the younger sister of Lee Pucci, who shared that Victoria had taken her own life the day after Christmas in 2022. When Victoria’s death was announced by Lee Pucci, a cause of death was not given at the time.