There won’t be a ONE Atomweight MMA world title clash at ONE 167 after reigning divisional queen Stamp Fairtex pulled out due to injury.
Stamp was supposed to defend her world title against good friend and former training partner Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga in ONE’s return to the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, but a knee injury sustained during her camp forced her to withdraw from the match.
The 26-year-old twisted her knee during a sparring session, and an MRI later revealed that she tore her meniscus, leaving no chance for her to recover and compete in less than three weeks.
Obviously, this turn of events weighed heavily on Stamp, especially with thousands of her compatriots excited to see her back in the arena where she started her ONE career.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t get on stage for everyone to cheer on,” Stamp said in a statement.
“I worked hard and I was very focused for this fight. [But] accidents can happen all the time.”
There’s no definite timeline for Stamp’s recovery as she’s set to go through surgery and therapy, but she says that she’ll be better than ever when she returns.
“I promise that I’ll do my best [in] therapy and I’ll come back the best as well,” she added.
If there’s any consolation for Filipino fight fans, however, Zamboanga opted to stay active instead of waiting for Stamp's return.
That means that while "The Menace" won't get a shot at becoming the first-ever Filipina MMA world champion, she'll still set to compete against a new opponent to be named soon by the promotion.
That's good news for Filipino fight fans, as they'll still have a kababayan strutting her stuff on a stacked card on June 8 bannered by the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai world title clash between divisional king Tawanchai PK Saenchai and “Smokin” Jo Nattawut.
Beloved ONE Flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon is also set for his return when he takes on Denis Puric under kickboxing rules.
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