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ONE Championship’s three-sport queen Stamp Fairtex admittedly has mixed feelings about her highly anticipated comeback from a career-threatening knee injury.
The Thai fan favorite will return to her striking roots in a three-round atomweight kickboxing affair with Kana 'Krusher Queen' Morimoto at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri.
For Stamp, her first official bout after nearly two years brings out a lot of emotions, which she explained in a recent interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin.
"I'm always super excited and super nervous. I don't really know how my body will feel right now, or what's going to happen in the ring. But I think on that day, I'll feel really, really excited.”
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Apart from the physical toll of recovery, Stamp understandably feels the emotional weight of this turning point in her career.
The 28-year-old once dominated across three disciplines, winning the 115-pound belts in kickboxing, Muay Thai, and MMA.
While Stamp is confident about her elite fighting skills, she knows this match will serve as an evaluation of whether she can continue operating at the highest level after such a devastating setback.
Her time away from the ONE Circle has opened a lot of questions, and she’s ready to provide answers against Kana at ONE 173.
Watch the interview in its entirety:
Stamp Fairtex vows to be better than Kana at ONE 173
Aside from overcoming some mental hurdles upon her return, Stamp is admittedly wary about the caliber of the opponent that she'll be facing.
Kana, a former ONE atomweight kickboxing world title challenger, brings forth elite striking and will also be rejuvenated by the cheers of her hometown fans. Still, Stamp promised she's doing everything in her power to regain her pre-injury form.
The former ONE atomweight MMA world champion shared during the ONE 173 Tokyo Press Conference:
"I think I have to prepare to dance because everyone is looking for the [Stamp] dance. And yeah, I think I will improve myself and do everything I can because Kana is really good. So I have to be [better] than her."
Follow Sportskeeda and ONE Championship for the latest news about this exciting women’s striking battle.
