"A 50-50 chance" - Stamp Fairtex sees parity in teammate Yodkaikaew's fight against Gurdarshan Mangat at ONE 158

Stamp Fairtex recently spoke to Sportskeeda's own Dylan Bowker to discuss teammate Yodkaikaew's return to the ONE circle on June 3. 'Y2K' is scheduled to face Gurdarshan Mangat.

During the interview, Fairtex was asked how involved she was in Yodkaikaew's training for the upcoming bout. While present, Fairtex stated that she was primarily assisting her teammate outside of the cage with observations and post-workout recovery:

"I stand outside the cage and give him advice. I'll shout and tell him what to do because sometimes a person outside the ring can see the whole picture more clearly than the one inside. And I also take care of him after training, like providing water and giving him a massage."

When asked what Yodkaikaew's biggest area of growth has been since his last appearance, Fairtex said:

"I think he has great willpower. From the first day I met him until today, he is more and more determined for every fight."

The last time we saw Yodkaikaew in the ONE circle was in a stunning 18-second knockout loss to Sung Hoon Woo. When asked what went wrong, Fairtex explained:

"I think he underestimated his opponent too much. So, he opened a window for the opponent to attack him easily."

Watch Sung Hoon Woo's knockout of 'Y2K' below:

Stamp Fairtex was also asked about the things 'Y2K' needs to watch out for in his bout with Mangat. She replied:

"He should not underestimate his opponent again, and he must defend his face well because he always leaves it open when he trades weapons with his opponents. He has the heart of a fighter. He is really eager for this fight because he has already lost twice in a row. He would like redemption."

When the 24-year-old Rayong native was asked how she expected the fight to unfold, Stamp Fairtex said that it would likely come down to whoever makes the first mistake:

"Of course, I’ll root for Y2K. He has a 50-50 chance of winning because his opponent is a good striker, too. He probably has more Muay Thai experiences than Mangat, but it depends on who makes a mistake first."

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Stamp Fairtex sends a special message to teammate Yodkaikaew ahead of ONE 158

Yodkaikaew will be looking to climb back into the win column after back-to-back losses. At one point, 'Y2K' was on a three-fight win streak, defeating John Shink, Alex Schlid and Tatsumitsu Wada. In his last two appearances, he suffered a decision loss to Yong Hu and, most recently, a devastating 18-second knockout against Sung Hoon Woo.

When Fairtex was asked if she had any special messages for her teammate going into his ONE 158 contest, she said:

"Do your best and never underestimate your opponent. If you get a chance to finish him, don't let it slip through your fingers."

Yodkaikaew faces a tough task against Mangat, who has won three of his four bouts under the ONE Championship banner. 'Saint Lion' entered ONE Championship with back-to-back wins, but experienced a setback losing to Reece McLaren via first-round submission. He bounced back by defeating Roshan Mainam in May 2021. Just over a year later, Mangat returns to the ONE circle to try and make it two in a row.

Watch 'Y2K' in action below: