"She's very good in the ground game" - Stamp Fairtex praises Denice Zamboanga's grappling ahead of ONE 167 clash
ONE Championship's only three-sport world champion and current ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion, Stamp Fairtex, braces herself for a tough stylistic matchup with her upcoming opponent, Denice Zamboanga, on June 7 at ONE 167.
Stamp will be defending her 26-pound golden belt for the first time since becoming the undisputed queen of the 115-pound in September 2023 after her third-round TKO win over Ham Seo Hee.
Speaking to the MMA Superfan's YouTube channel ahead of their championship showdown, the Thai Combat sports superstar acknowledged the Filipina's biggest strength and how she would neutralize it.
The Fairtex Training Center representative said:
"That's true, she's very good in the ground game. I'm prepariing for that. Before she can get to her ground game, she must first come and take me down. I am working very hard to protect that [aspect] and defending those [takedowns]."
Stamp is fresh off her crowning glory as the new queen of the atomweight MMA division after scoring a third-round TKO finish of Ham Seo Hee in the headliner of ONE Fight Night 14 in September 2023.
This triumph has made her the first and only athlete in the promotion's history to capture three world titles in three different sports. Stamp once collectively held the ONE atomweight kickboxing and ONE atomweight Muay Thai world titles from 2019 to 2020.
Stamp says that she is interested in reclaiming the kickboxing and Muay Thai champions
After her historic victory, Stamp has hinted at a possible return to Muay Thai and kickboxing to win back the two world titles. These world championships are presently held by Allycia Hellen Rodrigues (kickboxing) and Phetjeeja (Muay Thai).
Following this statement by Stamp, Rodrigues has since responded and stated that she is always open and ready to fight her because it has the makings for another classic battle.
ONE 167 is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America on June 7.