Exclusive – Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex Targets Third ONE Championship Title
Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex may only be four fights deep into her ONE Championship career, but the 22-year-old is already shaping up to be one of the promotions future stars.
The Rayong native, who currently trains out of the famed Fairtex Gym, already holds the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Championships and has now set her sights on adding Angela Lee’s atomweight MMA crown to her collection.
After an impressive submission win over ONE debutante Asha Roka back in August, Stamp has been assigned a more difficult task for her second mixed martial arts outing under the ONE banner.
This Friday at ONE: Masters Of Fate, in Manila, Philippines, Stamp will face off against Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen. The Vietnamese- American will be a far savvier adversary for Stamp than Roka, and this bout should be an indicator of were the Thai sits in the atomweight division.
“She seems strong and really aggressive. Her striking is okay; she has speed and power, especially with her hook. But I think my standup is better and more diverse, and I plan to show that when we fight,” Stamp said to LowKick MMA when speaking about Nguyen.
“I feel pressure because people expect a lot from me. I also don’t want to let my team and all my fans down. A lot of people support me, and I’m grateful,” she added.
Stamp has been somewhat of a trailblazer for women’s Muay Thai in Thailand. She took up the sport at age five and soon started making waves on the local scene. Two years ago, she made history by becoming the first female fighter accepted to the Fairtex Fight team.
“At first, it was a little surprising for me, training with all men at Fairtex. I was the only woman there. But now that has changed, and there are more girls. I am very happy.
“There’s another girl on my team who recently started to compete in both Muay Thai and MMA. She’s called ‘Wonder Girl.’ I wish to see more girls compete like this in the future.”
Stamp has won over fans through her in-ring exploits abilities as well as her affable persona outside of the arena. ONE encourages their athletes to express their individuality during their walks to the ONE circle, and it could be argued that Stamp’s entrances are almost as anticipated as her fights.
The Thai has become known for dancing her way down the runway as though she were heading to a rave as opposed to a fight.
“Dancing has always been in my heart. Whenever I listen to music, instantly start moving to the beat. I don’t really practice the Stamp Dance; I go by heart.”
While Stamp is enjoying the fruits of her success, she never visualized herself, carving a career in the combat sports world despite her obvious ability as a child.
“When I was younger, I just focused on being an amateur fighter while I pursued my studies so I could get a good job. But now that I’ve experienced some level of success as a professional athlete, I think I’ll be fighting for many years to come.”
Stamp is still developing as an athlete and is likely years away from reaching her full potential. However, this Friday, she will get the opportunity to get one step closer to claiming another world title for her mantelpiece.
