Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex suffered a devastating knee injury during her training camp in May. The 26-year-old was putting in the hard yards for her fight against # 2 ranked contender Denice Zamboanga at ONE 167 on Prime Video. However, an unfortunate incident led to Stamp missing her first World Title defense. But it seems the three-sport World Champion is slowly recovering from her injury. 

The Thai megastar is relatively active on social media and keeps fans updated about her present condition. Sportskeeda MMA recently took to their Instagram account to share the latest update on the injury. The 26-year-old plans to return to action soon and said, “I’ll return to Fairtex in late October. I’ll try some light training. I can do boxing now.” But how exactly did she suffer the injury? Let us find out about it below. 

A closer look at the injury sustained by Stamp Fairtex before her ONE 167 fight 

Every professional MMA fighter, for once in their lifetime, goes through a phase in their career when they get injured. Despite staying in shape all year long, fighters can still get injured. This was precisely the case that happened with Stamp during her preparation for her fight against Denice Zamboanga at ONE 167. ‘The Menace’ was fresh from a victory in her fight against Julie Mezabarba and was ready to fight for the title, but the fight never happened after Stamp pulled out at the last moment. 

During the final weeks of her preparation, the Thai Megastar tore her meniscus when her training partner failed to take her down during one of the practice sessions. Stamp then had to undergo surgery and slowly began her journey towards recovery with proper rehabilitation. During such testing times, her family has played a vital role in helping her attend all the physiotherapy sessions. 

During her absence from the action, an interim belt was scheduled to be up for grabs at ONE Fight Night 25 on Prime Video on Friday, October 5. Unfortunately, Denice ‘The Menace’ Zamboanga also suffered an injury, which prevented her from competing in the event. But there is some good news for the fans after a new striker has been roped in by the promotion. 

Women’s striking divisions bolstered by the arrival of Japanese star KANA 

The women’s atomweight MMA division may be in disarray at the moment due to injuries to at least two of its top-ranked fighters, but the striking division got a huge infusion of talent with the signing of Japanese star KANA. Kana Morimoto is a two-time K-1 Women’s Flyweight World Champion who has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best female strikers on the planet. The 32-year-old announced during the Japanese broadcast of ONE 168: Denver this past weekend. 

While she has an impressive list of conquests that includes former ONE World Title challenger Cristina Morales, one name has been on the top of her list for quite some time – Anissa “C18” Meksen. The French-Algerian striker is widely regarded as a pound-for-pound great and has acknowledged KANA as a potential opponent, even going as far as inviting the K-1 alumnus to fight in ONE. 

With the recent development, it appears this legendary pairing is one step closer to happening. However, the women’s striking divisions are stacked with talent and will offer plenty of challenges to KANA. Stamp, a former Muay Thai and kickboxing queen, has also expressed her interest in competing in the striking divisions again in the future and could be a potential partner for ONE’s latest signee after she recovers and defends her belt.  

Who do you want to see her face first in ONE Championship?