“I just knew I could do it” – Stamp Fairtex had to convince herself she could knock out ultra-trough Ham Seo Hee
Thai MMA superstar Stamp Fairtex is set to defend her ONE atomweight MMA world title at ONE 167 on June 7 against friend and former teammate, Denice Zamboanga. This will be the first time the flamboyant killer will defend her throne since making history by winning it at ONE Fight Night 14 last year.
In September of last year, Stamp knocked out highly-touted South Korean star Ham Seo Hee to win her third world title in ONE Championship, making her the first fighter in the promotion to win belts across three sports: Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA.
There were a handful of doubters on whether Stamp can finish Ham, who was on a nine-fight winning streak at the time - including Stamp herself. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the Thai superstar spoke about her mentality during her world title-winning bout:
“When I was looking for that knockout, the entire time I was thinking like, ‘Oh, I can do it. I can do it.’ And then when I knocked her out, I just knew I could do it.”
Watch the full interview here:
Stamp Fairtex to move up to challenge Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE strawweight MMA world title at ONE 168
In a massive show of confidence, Stamp Fairtex decided to book another world title bout months ahead of her upcoming one in June. At ONE 168 in September, the three-sport world champion will move up to challenge the dominant Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE strawweight MMA world title.
Xiong is on a four-fight winning streak and is undefeated at strawweight, where she's defended her world title a record seven straight times. She also possesses the most wins in the division and some of the most dangerous hands in the game.
Having her pair with Stamp Fairtex, who is a Muay Thai expert, would be a beautiful clash of styles. A boxer-puncher versus a ferocious kicker.
ONE 167 will air live on US Primetime on June 7, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.
The pre-sale of tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 is now available at visit.onefc.com/one168-presale.