"They look a lot like Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama" - Fans enjoy Stamp Fairtex vs. Julie Mezabarba sequence

ONE Championship released a video on Instagram with footage of Stamp Fairtex and Julie Mezabarba violently battering each other's faces with punches.

One fan commented and said:

“Is it just me or they look a lot like Don Frye vs Yoshihiro Takayama? 😁"

Catch the sequence below:

Stamp and Mezabarba left it all in the cage at the women’s atomweight world grand prix semi-finals.

Just seconds before exchanging punches, Mezabaraba caught Stamp’s leg as the last attempt for a knockout. Neither fighter seemed fazed by the punches as they absorbed them head on.

The footage took fans back to the early days of MMA, when 'The Predator' Don Frye exchanged violent blows with Japanese wrestler Yoshihiro Takayama, at Pride 21: Demolition.

Their contest won 'Fight of the Year' from the Wrestling Observer in 2002, according to Sportsbible. Unbelievably, the memorable contest approaches its 20th anniversary this Thursday, June 23, 2022.

The president of the UFC, Dana White, summed it up with this caption on Twitter:

"How f------ awesome is this #DWCOTD!!! Don Frye vs Yoshihiro Takayama on June 23, 2002 in Saitama, Japan"

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Stamp Fairtex and Julia Mezabarba entered Grand Prix tournament with “chips on their shoulders”

Stamp Fairtex and Julia Mezabarba entered the women’s grand prix tournament with a point to prove. Mezabarba was originally part of the grand prix quarterfinals bracket but was replaced last minute by Indian-native Ritu Phogat.

She told ONE:

"I didn't think they’d put someone else in. I thought the fight was off. Then I saw the poster with someone else and I got angry.”

Watch their heated fight-preview below:

Soon after, she was given an alternative grand prix bout against Mei Yamaguchi to prove her worth. Shocking the world, Mezabarba dominated the former champion in all three rounds.

And as luck would have it, the Brazilian powerhouse ended up facing Fairtex in the semi-finals after Ham 'Hamzzang' Seo Hee withdrew from the tournament due to an injury.

Former two-sport champion Stamp Fairtex also had something to prove after redeeming herself with a victory win against former rival, Alyona Rassohyna. Winning the tournament would've meant a first class-ticket to a title shot against atomweight champion, Angela Lee.

She told ONE:

"She [Mezabarba] thinks that she’s gonna knock me out. She better be careful, because she might get knocked out instead.”

Stamp Fairtex secured the victory with a dominant three-round performance. She advanced to the finals and eventually won the tournament. However, the Thai striker fell short in her bid to win Angela Lee's title.