Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex is going through one of the toughest times of her career. Stamp was scheduled to take on #2 ranked contender Denice Zamboanga at ONE 167 on Prime Video. However, she tore her meniscus during her practice session, forcing her to miss her scheduled World Title defense. 

The 26-year-old is currently on her road to recovery and constantly shares updates about her recovery process. She recently took to her Instagram account to provide the latest news on her status with the caption: “Start week 12 everything is getting better.” Stamp can be seen engaging in a light shadow boxing session and seems to be slowly getting back to full fitness. Let us take a look at how the champion suffered one of the most devastating injuries of her career. 

A closer look at Stamp Fairtex’s devastating injury 

Injuries are a part of the lives of most professional fighters, and Stamp Fairtex is no different. The 26-year-old was prepared to defend her first ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title against her former teammate Denice Zamboanga. As she entered the final stages of her training camp at the Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand, an unfortunate incident led to a massive injury. The 26-year-old tore her meniscus when her sparring partner failed to take her down during a practice session. After undergoing surgery, she is currently on her road to recovery and undergoing physical therapy.

Recently, Matt Lucas, the director of public relations at Fairtex Gym, took to Instagram to share an update about her current condition. According to Lucas, the champion has surpassed the initial stages of her recovery and is slowly getting back to full fitness. She is under the close supervision of Felix Peters of the Rehab & Performance Physiotherapy Experts in Pattaya. Her family is playing a massive role during this time and is making sure that she attends all her physiotherapy sessions in the clinic, which is two hours away from their rural home in Chonburi.

Lucas said, “Now we’re having her walk normally. But we have to manage the load. We don’t want to go too far too fast,” He also pointed out about the current situation in the division with a caption, “She does her exercises while the world around her moves by. In her absence, an interim belt is up for grabs. She will fight the winner,”

Stamp is itching to get back to action and defend her title. However, in her absence, the interim title is up for grabs. As Stamp continues her rehab work, we take a look at the upcoming clash scheduled next in the division. 

Denice Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna clash for the interim belt next 

When Stamp Fairtex was forced out of her clash at ONE 167, Thai-French fighter Noelle Grandjean stepped in as her replacement. ‘The Menace’ proved why she deserved a World Title shot with a dominant performance against the late-notice opponent to extend her win streak to three straight. 

The 27-year-old has now been given the opportunity to fight for the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title against Ukraine’s Alyona Rassohyna. Their bout will take place at ONE Fight Night 25 on Prime Video, scheduled for U.S. primetime on Friday, October 5. 

Rassohyna managed to submit Stamp when they fought each other at ONE: UNBREAKABLE III in February in 2021 – the Thai star’s first MMA loss. However, the 26-year-old managed to settle the score in the same year in September after she defeated her via decision. She will be looking to compete in a trilogy with Stamp with a win against Zamboanga.

However, the Filipina has made it clear that she will be waiting for her former training partner to return to full fitness and will no doubt do her part in making that fight happen by taking the interim strap in her next outing.  

Who do you think will win the fight at ONE Fight Night 25? Let us know in the comments below.