“I am very disappointed” - Stamp Fairtex looks back on missed world title opportunities after tearing her meniscus

Reigning and undisputed ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand lost out on a couple of potential bangers in 2024 as she dealt with a harrowing knee injury that has kept her sidelined for the past 12 months.

The 27-year-old Fairtex Training Center representative was originally scheduled to face former teammate and close friend 'The Menace' Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines in an atomweight MMA world title defense, and then move on to challenge strawweight queen 'The Panda' Xiong Jing Nan for a chance at two-division supremacy.

However, an injury in training forced Stamp into surgery and into a lengthy recovery and rehabilitation process.

Stamp talked to ONE Championship about missing out on both opportunities. She said:

"I am very disappointed to have missed both opportunities. No one wants something like this to happen."

Needless to say, Stamp Fairtex is looking to make her highly anticipated comeback in 2025, as her knee is close to being fully healed and she inches closer to being cleared for full-contact training.

Stamp Fairtex eyes mid-2025 return: "Everything should be in place"

Atomweight MMA queen Stamp Fairtex is looking at a potential return to action by the middle of the year, as she has now made her way back to the gym for light training.

She told ONE Championship:

"I expect to compete in May or June. By then, everything should be in place. It may be a bit delayed, but coming back at 100 percent will definitely make my performance much better than competing while still in pain. I want to fight every three months."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Stamp Fairtex' next fight.