"She can become a champion" - Stamp Fairtex on Jenelyn Olsim's potential ahead of ONE 158 fight

Jenelyn Olsim may have fallen short of winning the ONE Championship atomweight World Grand Prix. However, there is no doubt that her presence was felt in the finals.

Tournament winner Stamp Fairtex is yet to cross paths with Olsim in the ONE circle, but the two became familiar with one another when the 25-year-old flew from the Philippines to help Fairtex prepare for her tournament final with 'The Indian Tigress' Ritu Phogat at ONE: Winter Warriors.

Since then, Fairtex has been very complimentary of Olsim and believes she has the ability to make it to the top in mixed martial arts. While speaking to Dylan Bowker, Fairtex was asked what Olsim's future was in the sport of MMA. Fairtex said:

"Someday, if luck is on her side, she can become a champion."

Before she can become a champion, Jenelyn Olsim will first need to go through Julie Mezabarba at ONE 158 on June 3rd. Boasting a record of 9-3-1, Mezabarba was victorious in her ONE Championship debut in September when she defeated Mei Yamaguchi.

Less than two months later, she stepped into the ONE circle again to face none other than Stamp Fairtex. Mezabarba fell short against Fairtex, dropping the contest via unanimous decision.

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Jenelyn Olsim competed in the Southeast Asian Games to prepare for her bout with Julie Mezabarba

To help round out her skills, Olsim recently competed in the SEA Games competing in the Vietnamese martial art called Vovinam. Olsim has been successful in the world of Muay Thai and kickboxing. Her biggest area for improvement has been the ground game, something Olsim has put a lot of focus on leading into her ONE 158 contest.

While speaking during the SEA Games virtual media day, Olsim had this to say about her preparations for Julie Mezabarba:

“She’s a striker. I prepared for the grounds part because during my last fight, my weakness was in wrestling,” Olsim said. “In my previous fights, my opponents always attempt for a down, which I haven’t developed yet. I worked on having strong and aggressive takedowns. I think I’m more confident now in attempting takedowns, but I still have to follow our game plan.”