"Now is my time to shine" - Stamp Fairtex says best is yet to come as atomweight queen enters her prime

Stamp Fairtex's thirst to be the best martial artist has played an instrumental role in her rise from a Muay Thai specialist to a three-sport queen. From stepping onto the global stage as a largely unknown star to claiming the kickboxing, Muay Thai, and MMA world titles, the Fairtex Training Center athlete's determination is second to none.

While most fans have witnessed the celebrated moments of her career, there are moments beneath the tip of the iceberg that largely go unnoticed.

Stamp suffered a torn meniscus deep into preparation for her ONE atomweight MMA world title defense against Denice Zamboanga at ONE 167, which required immediate attention.

As painful as it was, Stamp recovered from the surgery and wasted no time picking up the pace through various rehabilitation processes. She was also forced to withdraw from her move up to strawweight to challenge divisional queen Xiong Jing Nan at ONE 168: Denver.

Four months have since passed, and the ONE atomweight MMA world champion is almost nearing the end of her taxing battle on the sidelines.

Despite all the time away, the 27-year-old's fire to be back where she belongs — fighting inside the ONE Circle — is still burning.

In an interview on the Fairtex Training Center's official YouTube channel, the Thai megastar vowed to be back at her best when she returns, saying:

"I promise I'm gonna come back and for sure I will pay attention, focus, because now I'm 27 and I don't know how long I'm gonna fight. Now is my time to shine to let everyone know who I am. So yeah, I will come back."

Watch the clip here:

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Denice Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna will duke it out for interim gold in Stamp's absence

Though there has yet to be a timeline set for her return, it's safe to say that Stamp will be back in action against the winner of the duel between No.2-ranked Denice Zamboanga and No.4-ranked Alyona Rassohyna.

The ranked contenders vie for the interim ONE atomweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 27, which goes down inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 10.

Either tie, of course, will be an intriguing contest for Stamp.

A matchup against her former stablemate will add another major storyline to the loaded division. At the same time, a trilogy against Rassohyna should be a fiercely contested duel with the scores currently tied at one apiece.