"It did cross my mind" - Stamp Fairtex says clash against close pal Denice Zamboanga was bound to happen

Reigning ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex is currently preparing for her first defense of the 26-pound golden belt as she will face former teammate Denice Zamboanga on June 7 at ONE 167 inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

In her most recent appearance on the MMA Superfan's YouTube channel, Stamp admitted that she projected a day when they would face each other due to being in a similar weight class.

The Thai sensation said:

"A few years ago I was just focusing on Muay Thai and kickboxing but I was also already in MMA. It did cross my mind. I thought that me and Denice will be fighting each other one day because we are in the same division."

Stamp and Zamboanga were former teammates at Fairtex Training Center in Thailand before the latter decided to come home to the Philippines and join her bother Drex's gym at T-Rex MMA.

Despite this move by Zamboanga, they remain good friends and have maintained a great relationship. Another member of their close circle is Jihin Radzuan, who still trains with Stamp.

Other top names join Stamp Fairtex and Denice Zamboanga in the explosive card at ONE 167

Aside from the main event feature between Stamp and Zamboanga for the ONE women's atomweight MMA world championship, more top names are added to the spectacular card.

In the co-main event, Tawanchai PK Seanchai will defend his ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title against Jo Nattawut, while Muay Thai phenom Johan Ghazali takes on Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat.

More athletes and bouts are expected to be named in the coming weeks to complete the full lineup of the card.

ONE 167 is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America on June 7.

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