"An opportunity for me to throw a high kick" - Stamp vows to counter Denice Zamboanga's flaws with one-hit KO power
Three-sport queen Stamp Fairtex wouldn't think twice about switching Denice Zamboanga's lights off when they go to war at ONE 167.
The Fairtex Training Center affiliate sees a couple of areas where she can pounce against her former training partner inside Bangkok's Impact Arena. In particular, she knows the Filipina striker often tends to leave herself too exposed when she's unloading.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, she broke down Zamboanga's major flaw before their ONE atomweight MMA world title joust.
The Thai martial artist said:
"One thing she is not good at is when she punches or stands. She ducks her hand a lot. So maybe that's an opportunity for me to throw a high kick."
Watch the interview here:
It would be best for Zamboanga to maintain a tight guard while she seeks to attain a highlight-reel moment.
Stamp's counters and power have been at their peak in recent fights, and this slugfest could result in a similar ending if Zamboanga leaves herself at the mercy of the Thai's crunching power.
The Pattaya-based athlete has constructed a three-match winning run in MMA heading into the contest, with successive highlight-reel wins over Alyse Anderson and top-ranked Ham Seo Hee.
ONE 167 will broadcast live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.
Stamp open to test herself in ONE's special-rules mashups
Stamp's journey in ONE Championship has seen her develop from a striker to a complete mixed martial artist.
But the ever-evolving athlete wants to further expand her resume by pitting herself against fellow specialists in a mixed-rules fight.
In a past interview with The MMA Superfan, the Fairtex Training Center athlete shared:
"I'm interested! I believe in the power of my punches. I'm down to face anyone."
Thus far, ONE Championship's trailblazing special rules contests have produced a couple of interesting fixtures, none bigger than the MMA-Muay Thai battle between Rodtang Jitmuangon and Demetrious Johnson at ONE X.
Though she will have her hands full until ONE 168: Denver, where she moves up a division to challenge Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE strawweight MMA world title, Stamp is ready to see how she'd fare in a contest that will likely feature a blend of two different disciplines and rulesets.