Stamp Fairtex’s story is quite a remarkable one.
Once bullied and made to think that women had no place in a sport like Muay Thai, she has become one of the world’s best in “The Art of Eight Limbs” and now holds the ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Championships, making her the promotion’s first and only two-sport world champion.
She puts the Muay Thai title on the line against Australian challenger Alma Juniku at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on Saturday, 15 June at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China.
While of course there are many motivating factors that push the 21-year old Thai star to succeed, Stamp shares that simply showing the world that women do indeed have a place in Muay Thai is one of the biggest ones.
“I just want to show the world that even in a field that is dominated by men, that women like us can shine and make a name for ourselves,” Stamp said. “When I won my first title in ONE, it was an unbelievable moment for me, and it made all my sacrifice and my hard work worth it.”
Stamp defeated Kai Ting Chuang to capture the kickboxing belt in her first appearance on a ONE card.
She followed that impressive win up by shutting down Janet Todd to capture the Muay Thai title and make history.
Looking forward, Stamp says that she’s looking to add even more gold to her collection.
“I knew, however, that I could do even more, and I believe that I have proved that by being ONE’s first-ever two-sport world champion. But again, it does not stop there,” Stamp explained. “I earned my way into ONE Championship through mixed martial arts, and I plan on also becoming a world champion in that field so that I can also make history by becoming a three-sport world champion, something that has not been done before.”
Stamp maintains that all the success she has garnered and all the history she has made and hopes to make in the future is all in part of her desire to become an inspiration to women who, like her, have faced adversity and continue to face adversity in pursuit of their dreams and goals.
“By achieving that,” Stamp expressed. “I hope that I can become an inspiration and a source of motivation to all the women and the little girls out there who are aspiring to succeed, not just in martial arts, but in anything that they wish to pursue.”
“If I can do it, so can they,” she concluded.
