“Those were really hard for me” - Thai megastar Stamp Fairtex admits she struggled with grappling at the start of her MMA career

Stamp Fairtex may have taken the world of MMA by storm, but the Thai megastar admitted she initially struggled with the sport's grappling element. In an interview with MMA legend Demetrious Johnson, Stamp said she found it hard to memorize all the intricate details of BJJ and wrestling when she first started training in MMA.

Stamp is a natural striker, and she ultimately found her rhythm when operating on MMA's grappling elements.

She said:

"BJJ and wrestling. Those were really hard for me, because I have to remember all the positions. It’s a lot. But it’s fun, because I learn fast also, then it’s good for me."

Stamp Fairtex burst through the scenes the moment she made her main roster debut in ONE Championship in 2018. The Thai superstar dethroned Chuang Kai Ting of the ONE atomweight kickboxing world title in October 2018 for her first piece of ONE Championship gold.

In February 2019, just four months later, Stamp became a two-sport world champion when she beat Janet Todd for the ONE atomweight Muay Thai world title.

Stamp's reign as a simultaneous two-sport queen ended in 2020 when she relinquished the kickboxing belt to Todd in February and the Muay Thai strap to current holder Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in August. Nevertheless, Stamp focused on her MMA run.

She became an unprecedented three-sport world champion after stopping South Korean superstar Ham Seo Hee at ONE Fight Night 14 for the ONE women's atomweight MMA world title.

Stamp, however, had to relinquish her MMA throne after aggravating her injured left knee in rehab. Denice Zamboanga, Stamp's close friend and former training partner at Fairtex Training Center, has been elevated to undisputed ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion.

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Stamp Fairtex recalls how ONE Championship turned her life for the better

Stamp Fairtex couldn't help but feel thankful after ONE Championship allowed her to live with financial freedom.

In the aforementioned interview with Demetrious Johnson, Stamp recalled how she felt when the first cheque from ONE Championship was deposited in her bank account. 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."

Watch Stamp's entire interview below: