ONE Championship: Thai star Stamp Fairtex to make up for lost time against Kana Morimoto
After more than two years away with injury, the first three-sport world champion returns to the spotlight with a kickboxing bout at ONE 173
Stamp Fairtex has all the elements of a star. She was the first three-sport world champion in ONE Championship history. Her walkouts are iconic, her smile is infectious and her personality has made her one of the most beloved figures in Asian combat sports.
But it has not all been Korean hearts and TikTok dances for the crowd favourite.
The Thai superstar has endured one of the toughest spells of her career, forced to relinquish her atomweight Muay Thai belt last year because of a chronic knee injury that kept her sidelined for months.
Now, at ONE 173 in Tokyo and complete with new-look bleached blonde hair, she makes her long-awaited return against Japan’s Kana Morimoto in a kickboxing bout that will test both her timing and her patience.
“I miss everything,” said Stamp, who has been atomweight world champion in MMA, Muay Thai and kickboxing. “I miss the fans, I miss the cheering and I even miss that sound when we fight – it’s something that always motivates me.”
The 27-year-old admitted that the time away was more difficult than any fight camp. Unable to train or compete, she had to rely on the support of her family and teammates at Fairtex Gym in Pattaya.