Stamp Fairtex was a Muay Thai fighter who successfully transitioned to MMA. Now, Nat 'Wondergirl' Jaroonsak is following in her footsteps.
Stamp made her MMA debut after a lifetime in Muay Thai. She has held ONE titles not only in Muay Thai but also in kickboxing. She transitioned to MMA in 2018 and has since won the Atomweight Grand Prix and challenged for the undisputed title.
'Wondergirl' is looking to emulate Stamp. She won national titles in Muay Thai in her home country of Thailand and is now competing in MMA.
Ahead of her MMA debut at ONE 157, she told the South China Morning Post:
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"I'm pretty new with this sport so I want to go slow just like Stamp Fairtex... I need to work a lot still. I want to go slow, like Stamp. Go slow and go strong. Stamp took around two years to get a title. I think two years would be perfect. It's not too fast, it's not too long."
At ONE 157, she made her debut and put an exclamation mark on it. 'Wondergirl' submitted her opponent Zeba Bano in the first round with an armbar. She does have a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to go with her Muay Thai abilities.
After the victory, Stamp Fairtex gave a shoutout to 'Wondergirl' on her Instagram Story.
Nat 'Wondergirl' Jaroonsak on her submission victory
Nat Jaroonsak submitted her opponent in round one at ONE 157. She was excited about her victory and said in the post-fight interview:
"I'm so excited! I can't sleep last night. It's my first time for MMA in ONE Championship, and I didn't fight for one year. And I did a submission! Submission!... MMA strawweight division, I'm coming for you guys!"
She later took to Instagram to pay her respects to her opponent:
"RESPECT your opponent by training hard and put the great fight on the show. Thank you again to my opponent who be here in the circle to make the fight happen [Zeba Bano]."
The Muay Thai striker-turned-MMA fighter has now proved that she belongs in the competitive women's strawweight division in ONE Championship.