“I should have taken it slower” - Stamp Fairtex admits success may have come too fast for her in ONE

Stamp Fairtex got her ONE Championship campaign to a great start, winning her first two matches and becoming world champion in two sports. While she was proud of what she was able to accomplish, in hindsight, she believes it would not have hurt if she did not have it too fast and was able to take it a step a time and learn through the process.

The Fairtex Training Center standout made her promotional debut in October 2018, challenging and defeating by unanimous decision then ONE Super Series atomweight kickboxing champion Chuang Kai Ting of Chinese-Taipei.

She then followed it up with another title conquest in February 2019, claiming the inaugural ONE atomweight Muay Thai world title with another decision victory over American Janet Todd.

Stamp held the world titles simultaneously until she lost both in 2020 against different opponents -- the kickboxing belt to Todd (February) and Muay Thai gold to Allycia Hellen Rodrigues (August).

In a recent interview with retired MMA legend Demetrious Johnson in his Mighty podcast, Stamp shared her thoughts on the fast start she had in ONE Championship, saying:

"I think I should have taken it slower. Because I can learn everything and make sure step by step is okay."

Watch the interview below:

The back-to-back wins set Stamp for what has been a stellar career in ONE the past seven years that has seen her compile a 14-4 record and also hold the atomweight MMA world title to make history as the only fighter in the promotion to become a three-sport world champion.

Stamp says competing in ONE Championship changed her life

In the same interview on the Mighty podcast, Stamp Fairtex touched on how ONE Championship changed her life for the better. In particular, financially, allowing her to provide for her and her family's needs.

The Thai superstar recounted her days in competing in the local scene in Thailand and how much she was earning until she eventually landed in ONE.

She said:

"When I fought locally, it was only around 8,000 baht. It’s not that much. But when someone famous fights in Thailand, he gets 100,000 something baht. That is a lot already - 200, 300 thousand is a lot already. But when I got in ONE, damn it’s a lot, really."

Stamp is currently out as she continues to recovery from the knee injury she suffered last year. She recently agreed to relinquish the ONE atomweight MMA world title she claimed in September 2023 so as not to hold things up in the division.

Erstwhile interim titleholder Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines is now the undisputed atomweight MMA queen.