Stamp Fairtex projects world title rematch with Angela Lee "within three years"

Former two-sport ONE world champion Stamp Fairtex is in no rush to avenge her defeat this past March against reigning ONE women’s atomweight queen Angela Lee at ONE X.

As far as the 24-year-old Thai superstar is concerned, she still needs to test herself against the other contenders of the division before requesting an immediate rematch with ‘Unstoppable’.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the ONE women’s atomweight world Grand Prix winner bared her intention to gain more experience in mixed martial arts.

“It's still in my plans. But it's a long-term plan. Because right now I want to focus on MMA as much as possible. There are many challenging contenders in ONE MMA division. And these opponents will help me to improve myself very well. So, I want to stay on MMA path until I reach my goal. Then I will return to Muay Thai and kickboxing.”

Humility is certainly one of Stamp’s many admirable traits. Despite holding her own and actually nearly finishing Lee in their fight, she respects the rankings and wants to earn her keep the old-fashioned way.

Stamp Fairtex caught Lee with a thunderous body shot in the first round and had the world champion on the defensive. However, her inexperience showed and she lost the fight via submission in the ensuing round.

Most fighters in her position would likely just call out the world champ in a bid to stir the pot and get an instant title shot. Stamp Fairtex, however, knows she still has a lot to learn in her new field, considering she began her fighting career strictly practicing the striking arts.

While all her focus is on MMA at the moment, the Fairtex Gym standout said she’s not closing the door on a potential return to her bread and butter sport.

Stamp told ONE:

“I think it should take about 2-3 years for this process to be back in Muay Thai and Kickboxing. After my fight with Jihin, next year I might have two or three fights in MMA. And, I expect to get the world title rematch with Angela within three years.”

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Stamp Fairtex says loss to Angela Lee was a learning experience

Athletes often learn more in defeat than in victory. Stamp Fairtex certainly grew more as a fighter following that humbling experience against one of the best female martial artists on the planet.

Prior to challenging the Singaporean-American, Stamp racked up three straight victories, including a picturesque armbar finish over Ritu Phogat in the Grand Prix final.

Now, Stamp understands what it takes to reach the top of the division at women’s atomweight.

She told ONE in the same interview:

“I didn’t feel disappointed after losing that fight. I just felt like, ‘What a pity that I couldn't finish her.’ For me, it was a great opportunity to share the circle with Angela, and that loss made me realize the gap between me and her. It made me realize how much harder I need to practice to [earn a rematch with] her in the future.”

Stamp Fairtex has a new challenge ahead of her, as she takes on No.5 ranked Jihin Radzuan on the main card of ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs Lee 3 later today.