Rivalries: Stamp Fairtex

Stamp Fairtex, the first three-sport titleholder in ONE Championship history, stands out prominently among her contemporaries. She has navigated the global currents of acclaim, and her identity is firmly anchored in the harbor of western popularity. It is safe to say that she is one of the frontline representatives of the organization.

Her journey in martial arts can be simply summarized as being the necessity of the moment cast as the hallmark of a lifetime. Stamp began practicing muay thai at the tender age of 5 to avoid bullying in school. She would make her professional in-ring debut a year later and radiated brilliance with a quick knockout in under 30 seconds. There has been no turning back since then, for in the crucible of ambition, there is no room for retreat. The reigning ONE women’s atomweight mixed martial arts world champion once held the muay thai and kickboxing world championships of the organization at the same weight class.

The 26-year-old’s first defense of her title against Denice Zamboanga, which was scheduled for ONE 166, will take place in June, as both stars are set to take part in an original docuseries production. In any case, we take a look at some of the rivalries that have shaped Fairtex into the global phenom she is today:

Alyona Rassohyna

Stamp put up five straight victories since to start her MMA career, which also included four finishes. However, she succumbed to a last-ditch submission loss at the hands of Rassohyna at ONE Championship “Unbreakable 3” after dominating a larger portion of the bout. The Ukrainian snatched a guillotine choke at 4:53 of the third round. She got a chance to reclaim lost ground in the ONE women’s atomweight world grand prix quarterfinals at ONE Championship “Empower.” An evolved version of Stamp was evident in the rematch, as she put on a solid performance built on a meticulously crafted game plan. Most of the fight was contested at striking range. Stamp scored well on the feet, defended submission attempts on the ground and even came close with her own rear-naked choke in Round 1. Through the course of the fight, she rallied her way to a split decision with some hard ground-and-pound to close out the bout. This rivalry marked a significant chapter in her evolution as a martial artist.

Janet Todd

A compelling combat sports story is incomplete without a worthy antagonist to overcome. Stamp locked horns with Todd at ONE Championship “Call to Greatness” on Feb. 22, 2019 for the inaugural ONE atomweight muay thai world championship. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Todd got her chance at redemption almost exactly a year later at ONE Championship “King of the Jungle” on Feb. 28, 2020. The American clinched victory in an electrifying five-round clash armed with refined boxing and dynamic striking. Todd snapped out straight punches to keep Stamp at bay and used her footwork to avoid her heavy replies. She capitalized on the lessons from the previous encounter, showcasing relentless speed and accuracy that led to two judges scoring the bout in her favor.

Jihin Radzuan

Another chapter in Stamp’s story of defining rivalries was scripted when she was locked in combat in a 15-minute war of exhaustion with Radzuan at ONE on Prime Video 2. Although the MMA fight was contested at a catchweight of 120.75 pounds, the Thai megastar overcame some early pressure from the then-No. 5-ranked contender to turn the tables and secure a convincing unanimous decision. The first round was mostly contested in the striking department. Radzuan quickly switched gears and pressed Stamp against the wall for a takedown. In the subsequent round, they traded strikes again at the beginning, with “Shadow Cat” throwing sharp punches and low kicks as Stamp replied with hard counters. Stamp managed to hurt Radzuan with a stiff right hand, followed it with a powerful knee and dove straight to back control. The decisive highlight reel-worthy moment of the fight came early in Round 3, where Stamp smashed her left elbow into her rival and instantly crumpled her to the mat. In the end, all the judges scored the bout in her favor.

Anna Jaroonsak

Stamp’s encounter with Jaroonsak became a fight that divided opinion, even several days after the conclusion of the bout. The two Thai natives were slated to fight different opponents ahead of the event. However, unforeseen changes ultimately led to them competing in a kickboxing showdown at strawweight on short notice at ONE on Prime Video 6. “Supergirl” stepped up to the plate going against one of the biggest names in the organization, started out strong and opened the first round with an onslaught of strikes and forward pressure. Stamp seemingly took over in the later rounds, with two judges scoring the contest her favor for a close split decision. Even to this day, some fans claim Stamp did just enough to win the bout, while others believe “Supergirl” was the busier fighter.