By Dan Paulo Errazo
Stamp Fairtex may be a two-sport World Champion and atop the women’s atomweight division in ONE Super Series but Australian Alma Juniku just gave her the toughest match of her career yet in the main event of ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST.
The pair locked horns at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China last Saturday night, 15 June. For five full rounds of solid action, both Stamp and Juniku left it all in the ONE ring as fans cheered on from the rafters.
From the sound of the opening bell, both athletes were bound to the center of the ONE ring, carefully measuring each other’s strengths and weaknesses. After a brief feeling out period, Stamp and Juniku began trading their best combinations to the roar of the packed Baoshan Arena.
Juniku, who was making her ONE Championship debut, certainly left a lasting impression as she was game all throughout, marking up the champion more than ever in her young career. To Stamp’s credit, she certainly displayed great fortitude, standing tall in the face of adversity — in this case, a plethora of strikes coming her way.
You can’t say Juniku didn’t come to compete in this one, as the Australian Muay Thai champion surely gave everything she had. However, Stamp began to open up her bag of tricks and her experience was showing.
Increasing her aggression, Stamp let loose a flurry of punches and kicks, as well as sharp knees in the clinch whenever the Australian would come close.
Action continued much the same for the duration of the contest, with neither giving way to the other. It was a closely-contested bout which could have gone either way by the sound of the opening bell.
In the end, Stamp Fairtex earned a unanimous decision on all three judges’ scorecards, retaining her ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title.
Though Juniku failed in her bid to claim the title, the Australian warrioress certainly earned the respect of the fans, and Stamp herself.
As the familiar gold confetti settled on Stamp’s shoulders, the Thai champion now looks forward to her quest of finally making her ONE Championship debut in the Circle. Stamp, previously a competitor on Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series, expressed her intent to go for a historic third world title, this time in mixed martial arts.
