“Unstoppable” Angela Lee expects Stamp Fairtex to be one of her most formidable competitors to date when she defends her gold against the Thai sensation.
After witnessing the Muay Thai and kickboxing practitioner’s ascent into mixed martial arts, the ONE Atomweight World Champion believes the Fairtex representative truly deserves her shot at the world title.
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“It was a great fight. I think everyone must be shocked that Stamp won via armbar. But I’m not too surprised,” the 25-year-old said following the former two-sport world champion’s stunning win over Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS on 3 December.
“I did expect Stamp to have a more well-rounded MMA game, and in the fight, you could see that. You could see that Stamp had the more well-rounded MMA game, and I think her team had a really smart strategy for her.”
Angela Lee on Stamp Fairtex’s grappling
The former ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion stunned the world after forcing the grappling expert to tap to an armbar at 2:14 of the second round.
Her takedown defense and counters to Phogat’s wrestling initiatives worked to perfection during the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The Pattaya-based athlete eventually succumbed to Phogat’s takedown, but she turned adversity into a tool for victory. Instead of allowing “The Indian Tigress” to move into a comfortable position on the canvas, Stamp locked in a triangle choke when the Indian star brought the match to the ground.
Phogat initially escaped that attempt, but Stamp switched to an armbar to seal the victory.
“Her grappling game has definitely improved. You can see the improvements, especially in that fight with Ritu. You know, [Ritu’s] got great takedowns, but the ground game, you don’t really see her improving her position from there or looking for the finish,” Lee pointed out.
“And Stamp, as soon as she got to the ground, got taken down, she went right to work to set up that triangle. She did a great job.”
The ‘Unstoppable’ warns the Fairtex representative
Now that Stamp has become ONE’s first female Grand Prix champion, she moves one step closer toward her dream of becoming the promotion’s first three-sport world champion.
Lee respects her opponent’s ambition and the hype surrounding the Thai striker. However, the fighter on a nine-match win streak warns that she will be training hard to deliver one of her best performances when she returns to action inside the Circle.
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“Stamp has been fighting back-to-back for the past year, so I know that’s definitely going to be to her advantage, and that’s what’s going to motivate me to train even harder during this fight camp,” Lee said.
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“She’s a former [ONE Atomweight] Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion. She knows what it takes to be at the highest level competing. But that’s in her world, and she’s going to be entering my world now.”
