Stamp Fairtex wants to make history by becoming the only fighter to win world titles in three different combat sports.
To achieve that feat, the #2-ranked atomweight will have to hurdle Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final set at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS this Friday, 3 December, from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The winner will become the first-ever Women’s World Grand Prix winner and the owner of a title shot against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee.
It’s an opportunity that Stamp has been eyeing for a long time.
“Ever since I heard about the tournament, I was glad to be a part of it because my dream and my path is to be an MMA champion. And I want to be labeled as a World Champion in [three sports],” she told ONEFC.com.
But more than personal glory, the 24-year-old striker knows that this match goes beyond her because she will be representing Thailand and the sport of Muay Thai in this showdown.
“This is a very important match. If I win in this fight, this tournament, it would prove that a female Muay Thai fighter can win the MMA belt and prove to everyone the potential of Thai people – and a female fighter like me,” the Pattaya-based fighter said.
“The possible moment if I win, when the referee holds my hand up to say, ‘Stamp Fairtex is the winner of this belt,’ I think I will cry and scream out of excitement.”
Shifting her focus to the upcoming match, Stamp believes she can exploit several aspects of the #4-ranked atomweight’s game. However, she’s still wary of Phogat’s ability to recover when put in precarious positions – like how she stormed back against Meng Bo.
“Ritu is very tough and durable. She got knocked down and still recovered. So, it depends on the strikes. I’ll strike and not be too aggressive in case I give Ritu a chance to take me down, just to be safe.
“The way I will cope with [her takedown threat] is probably by applying my Muay Thai skills. Because when she approaches, it happens super fast. I’ll have to use my knees or elbows to stop her.”
She puts Phogat’s wrestling in such high regard that she’s already tweaking her strategy for their upcoming match.
Still, she’s confident that she can finish off the Indian wrestling star on her feet if given a chance.
“You might see fewer kicks, or maybe none at all. If I kick, I will have to be faster. We have to see if she will risk getting hurt when she wants to take me down,” Stamp said.
“Personally, I think I would like to use my Muay Thai skills to knock her out with my knees or elbows,” she said. “There’s a high chance I’ll finish her if I hurt her. In that situation, her body is not so strong for the knees.”
Catch ONE: WINTER WARRIORS live on One Sports or One Sports+ at 8:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT) on Friday, December 3.
It will also air simultaneously on ONE’s YouTube channel and the ONE Super App.