Stamp Fairtex is seeking to become ONE Championship’s first three-sport world champion.
Fairtex is fighting Seo Hee Ham at ONE Fight Night 14 this September in a bout for the interim atomweight world title. This marks her second attempt at the history-making endeavor. The first was thwarted by Angela Lee, but the bout against Ham now stands out as a golden second opportunity.
“Maybe I’m crazy to fight in all three sports,” says Fairtex, who already won ONE world titles in atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai. “That is my dream. And I won’t stop until I get it.”
Fairtex will have her hands full with Ham (26–8), a seasoned veteran at 36 who has won her last nine fights. Yet Fairtex (10–2) also entered with momentum after knocking out Alyse Anderson in May at ONE’s first event in the United States.
Stamp 🇹🇭 folds Alyse Anderson with a CRUSHING body kick to cap a spectacular U.S. debut! 💥
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 6, 2023
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“Chatri [Sityodtong] told me I needed to win my last fight,” says Fairtex, 25. “If I did, I’d get a title shot. I loved that moment fighting in America. I heard the crowd when I got introduced. The fans cheering me were so loud. It was amazing.”
Though Fairtex had an interpreter beside her, she conducted the majority of the interview in English. She clearly grasps that she is on the cusp of superstardom, and winning the belt could put her in a position to defend it in front of her growing U.S. fan base.
The reason this is for an interim title is that reigning champion Lee—who is only 26—is contemplating retirement after the unexpected death of her sister. Lee defeated Fairtex in March 2022, winning courtesy of a rear naked choke in the second round. The outcome was in doubt in the opening round, with Fairtex nearly earning herself a finish with a body blow to Lee. Yet she was unable to capitalize, and the fight turned in the second round when Lee took hold of Fairtex’s back.
“I hurt her, but that’s when I got too excited,” says Fairtex. “I didn’t stay disciplined. That cost me. That night, she was better than me. But I learned from that fight.”
A victory for Fairtex in September will help further elevate her status across the sport. And she knows how she will celebrate a new title reign: with her signature “Stamp Dance.”
“Every time I win, I dance,” says Fairtex. “If I do it this time, it will be a special one.”
Jake Paul training for boxing date against Nate Diaz
Jake Paul is preparing for his most noteworthy boxing bout, matching up against Nate Diaz on Aug. 5.
The mere fact that Paul has reached a point where he can face Diaz is remarkable. Diaz is a cult hero in MMA, so it will be interesting whether this bout leads to a rematch in the cage, particularly in PFL’s Super Fight division. Perhaps that will be more likely if Paul wins the boxing match, which would necessitate a rematch.
Paul (6–1) was undefeated in boxing until his last fight, a split decision loss to Tommy Fury. That weakened his momentum heading into this bout, but that has not changed the passion Paul instills in his training.
“It’s cheesy, it’s cliché, but I believe in myself,” says Paul, 26. “I am fully invested in what I’m doing and I have this delusional optimism. I show up every day, I take the bumps, bruises, and black eyes, and I’ve committed to it. Life will beat you up if you don’t.”
Paul’s most impressive win came last October against Anderson Silva, an all-time legend in combat sports. Silva was 47 at the time when they fought, and well beyond his prime, but it still stood as a meaningful victory given the stature of the opponent.
“Since the start, I’ve always believed it would take time for me to be better at boxing than people who’ve been doing it their whole lives,” says Paul. “I knew if I put in the 10,000 hours, then I could be a high-level boxer. The fight with Anderson Silva definitely proved that. He’s been fighting since I was born. He didn’t back against me, and I was able to beat him. That showed my cardio, my inside fighting, catching, shooting; that fight showed this wasn’t just a gimmick.”
Throughout the interview, Paul was also championing his Celsius energy drink. Sporting a black eye from his last sparring session, he discussed finding an edge any way he could, including mentally.
“It helps when you have people believe in you, and the people from Celsius believe in me,” says Paul. “That makes a big difference. We’re working on a commercial together. It’s an amazing partnership.”
Remarkably, there is reason to believe Paul can defeat Diaz. That would, by far, stand as his most impressive victory in boxing, and it would add a lot of notoriety to his impending MMA debut in PFL.
“I’m going to win this fight,” says Paul. “I want to be the first one to ever put him to sleep, to do what Conor McGregor couldn’t do. Nate is stepping into my realm. He asked for 10 rounds. He thinks that’s to his advantage, but it’s to mine. I’m going to show that to everyone on August 5.”
The Pick ’Em Section:
UFC on ESPN middleweight bout: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov
Pick: Abus Magomedov
UFC on ESPN lightweight bout: Grant Dawson vs. Damir Ismagulov
Pick: Damir Ismagulov
UFC on ESPN welterweight bout: Max Griffin vs. Michael Morales
Pick: Michael Morales
UFC on ESPN women’s flyweight bout: Ariane Lipski vs. Melissa Gatto
Pick: Ariane Lipski
UFC on ESPN middleweight bout: Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Brunno Ferreira
Pick: Brunno Ferreira
Last week: 4–1
2023 record: 66–42
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
