By:  | December 23, 2022 1:55 am

Stamp Fairtex enhanced her reputation as one of ONE Championship’s top female fighters this year. She won the atomweight Grand Prix and caused Angela Lee some problems despite being beaten by the current atomweight queen.

The former Muay Thai and kickboxing champion came close to finishing the fight herself when she rocked Lee with a savage body shot in the opening round. Having made a good account of herself in her first title fight Stamp returned to winning ways with a convincing decision win over Jihin Radzuan.

Beating Ritu Phogat to win the atomweight Grand Prix was clearly a highlight. Although she came up short in her title shot Stamp feels it was a good year,

“My life has been pretty cool this year. First thing first, I had a big chance to face Angela Lee for the title. Although I lost, I didn’t regret sharing the circle with her. I learned a great lesson from that fight. It was a big, good test for me.”

Proving a point

Stamp was submitted by Lee in the second round. She was an underdog going into that fight but feels that by coming so close to stopping the champion she proved a few people wrong,

“With my performance in that fight, I proved the haters wrong. Previously, a lot of people underestimated my MMA skills. I’ve been able to prove myself in fights and make those trolls silent. It was a great year.”

Stamp gets her 2023 underway with a special rules bout against Anissa Meksen at ONE on Prime Video 6 in Bangkok. That fight is less than four weeks away and she hopes to compete under normal Muay Thai rules for the first time since 2020,

“I’m going to start the year with a special-rules fight. Later, I think I’ll find a way back to fight in Muay Thai for fans who miss me. I hope that Chatri would allow me to come back to Muay Thai sometime next year.”

Bridging the gap

Stamp has already shown that her stand up is superior to Angela Lee’s. But the champion is a BJJ black belt and the Thai knows exactly what she needs to work on in order to bridge the gap,

“For sure, I will improve my ground game more and more, with the hope of challenging Angela Lee again.”

Anyone who follows Stamp on social media will know she doesn’t take herself too seriously. So while the 25 year old is justifiably proud of her recent achievements she isn’t about to let success get to her head,

“I’m proud of myself (because) I have come a long, long way from being an ordinary girl to becoming an idol for many people around the world. But, although I’m famous, I’m still the same old Stamp for everyone. There’s no way I’m acting arrogantly. Everyone in the gym can slap my head like before!”