Stamp Fairtex says Julie Mezabarba's brash pre-fight comments are 'funny'

Stamp Fairtex may be just 23 years old, but she's quickly become one of the stars of ONE Championship's atomweight division. The Thai earned her spot in the ONE Atomweight Grand Prix semi-finals by beating Alyona Rassohynya via split decision in their opening-round rematch.

On Friday, Stamp will face Julie Mezabarba in the main event at ONE: NextGen in Singapore. The Brazilian has been outspoken in her comments during the lead-up to the fight, saying she's 'not impressed at all' (h/t SCMP MMA) by the other atomweights and describing Stamp as 'slow.'

Stamp Fairtex recently spoke to Sportskeeda and gave her reaction to Mezabarba's comments. She said:

"If she's not impressed by the other fighters, does anyone answer if any fighters are impressed by her? I think she could be a bit too aggressive and not too defensive in the fight because she's in interviews and everything feeling that she's better than me. It's a bit funny when you talk so much of yourself like that."

Stamp Fairtex previously held ONE Championship world titles in both Muay Thai and kickboxing. Although known for her striking, the Rayong-born fighter has shown vast improvements in her ground game.

During her first meeting with Rassohynya, Stamp was submitted late in the third round. But Stamp always maintained that she didn't tap - and gained a measure of revenge by fending off the Russian's ground attacks and sealing the victory in their second meeting.

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Stamp Fairtex plays down Mezabarba's win over Mei Yamaguchi

Mezabarba only joined ONE Championship this year, but the Brazilian boasts a win over Mei Yamaguchi, the most experienced fighter in the division. Yamaguchi is a pioneer for women's MMA in Asia, having competed with the likes of Megumi Fujii, Seo Hee Ham and Ayaka Hamasaki. She also famously fought Angela Lee for the title in two classic encounters that both went the distance.

Mezabarba overcame Yamaguchi via unanimous decision at ONE: Empower to earn her seventh consecutive win. However, Stamp Fairtex doesn't seem too impressed by that victory.

"The difference in size is pretty much obvious in this fight," said Stamp. "Because Mei is considered and you can see that she is smaller in this fight and it's very hard in the fight to fight with someone tall like that. And even though Mei tried to do the takedown, the taller and bigger opponent has the advantage to stop the takedowns coming," she added.

If Stamp Fairtex can overcome Julie Mezabarba, she'll face India's Ritu Phogat or Phillipines' Jenalyn Olsim in the Grand Prix final.

Watch Stamp Fairtex's interview with Sportskeeda below: