SINGAPORE — Vancouver-born MMA fighter Angela Lee retained her One Championship atomweight championship Friday, submitting Brazilian kickboxer Istela Nunes in the second round via anaconda choke.

In the co-main event of "One: Dynasty of Heroes" at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, welterweight world champion Ben Askren (16-0-0) of the U.S. submitted Malaysia's Agilan Thani (7-1-0) via arm triangle choke at 2:20 of the first round.

Lee, 20, became the promotion's inaugural 105-pound champion with a unanimous five-round decision over Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi in Singapore last May. Friday marked her second successful title defence.

"The anaconda choke is one of our favourites, so I was really happy to win with that submission tonight," said Lee, whose fight was stopped at 2:18 of the second round.

Nunes (5-1-0) is a former Muay Thai world champion.

Lee (8-0-0) lived in Vancouver and elsewhere in Canada until she was seven, when her family moved to Hawaii. She divides her training these days between the family gym on the island of Oahu and Evolve MMA in Singapore.

She grew up surrounded by martial arts. Father Ken and mother Jewelz are decorated martial artists who teach at their United MMA gym in Waipahu, where Angela and brother Christian are also instructors.

Ken was born in Singapore and Jewelz in South Korea. She moved to Hawaii at a young age while he came to Canada at the age of four. They met in Hawaii when Ken went there for high school, moving to Canada after graduation and eventually marrying.