By:  | May 2, 2022 10:43 am

Wondergirl Jaroonsakgym is about to embark upon a new career. She makes her MMA debut at ONE 157 this month and is looking to emulate Stamp Fairtex.

Stamp has established herself as one of the top atomweights on the ONE Championship roster but it didn’t happen overnight. Wondergirl sees this as a blueprint for success,

“I want to go slow but strong, just like Stamp (Fairtex). She didn’t face the top fighter in her very first fight in MMA.”

Lasting longer

Wondergirl used to train at the Fairtex Gym but left in acrimonious circumstances. Former teammate Stamp needed just 19 seconds to knock out an Indian opponent on her MMA debut.

Wondergirl has also been matched with an Indian opponent but sees the fight lasting a little longer,

“I’ll win this fight by rear-naked choke in the second or third round,” she said.

Zeba Bano comes into this fight with a 6-0 record although the majority of those fights appear to have taken place in her gym. Wondergirl admits she hasn’t seen any footage of her opponent,

“I’ve never seen her fight before. I just researched her fights and her performances, and I think she’s a striker. Even though she’s training wrestling and BJJ to beat me, I’m not scared. I’ve been training (in MMA) for two years already. I’m not just Muay Thai or striking.”

Submission skills

Given how experienced she is in Muay Thai terms Wondergirl should have a clear advantage if she can turn this into a striking contest. She thinks that Bano would be shrewd to try and make this a grappling contest,

“I am a professional Muay Thai fighter and (I have) everything in Muay Thai, elbows, knees, clinch, head kicks, low kicks, even teeps. If I’m her coach, I would find a way to take me down. But who knows? Maybe she’s going to strike with me in all the rounds.”

While Wondergirl sounds certain she will have superior striking she wants opponents not to underestimate her ground game,

“I have confidence in my striking, so she’s going to be aware of my strikes, for sure. But as I said, I’ve been training in MMA for two years, and I don’t have just striking. I know how to submit.”

No rush

With Smilla Sundell recently becoming the youngest champion on the ONE Championship roster fighters might have been forced to reassess their ideas of when they would reach their peak. But there can’t be too many 17 year old title holders in the world.

Wondergirl is six years older than Sundell and feels that time is very much on her side,

“I’m not rushing. I just turned 23 and still have a lot of time to work on and improve my skills. But if ONE wants to give me a strong opponent, then that’s fine. I respect ONE’s opinions and matchmaking. I’ll fight anyone they want to give me.”

New direction

She admits to being on the verge of retirement when ONE Championship came calling.

“I was about to retire in Muay Thai years ago. But then ONE gave me a Muay Thai contract, which was a good opportunity for me. ONE is the biggest promotion in Asia and in the world.”

Her Muay Thai career with ONE Championship had ups and downs. She was beaten by Jackie Buntan, who lost to Sundell in that title bout, and suffered some serious facial injuries that put her out of action for a few months.

But Wondergirl is fully recovered and ready to test herself in a new sport,

“I really wanted to fight MMA. Now that I finally got an MMA contract, I’m so happy. Finally, my dream’s coming true.”