[autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag] might not necessarily be a household name in the United States, but the 22-year-old from Pattaya is a star in her native Thailand, and she’s set her sights on an historic achievement as a ONE Championship athlete.
Fairtex (3-0) exploded onto the scene in Asia as a contestant in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series, a talent-finding roadshow that assesses undiscovered prospects across the region, then pits them in head-to-head matchups with the winner earning a contract to compete on the main ONE Championship roster.
Fairtex’s high-level muay Thai striking instantly stood out to Franklin, who pitched her into her first MMA-rules bout against Indian prospect Rashi Shinde. Nineteen seconds and one spectacular head-kick later, Fairtex was a ONE Championship fighter.
She kicked off her career on the big stage by competing in ONE’s striking-based series, ONE Super Series, as she challenged for, and won, the ONE atomweight kickboxing title. She then returned to her muay Thai roots and captured the ONE atomweight muay Thai title to become ONE’s first two-sport champion. Now the Thai starlet is looking to make history again by working her way up the promotion’s MMA ranks and challenging for the ONE atomweight MMA title.
That journey continues Friday in Bangkok, Thailand, at “ONE Championship 106: A New Tomorrow” when Fairtex faces off against India’s [autotag]Puja Tomar[/autotag] in the featured MMA bout of the evening at the Impact Arena.
Tomar (4-3) picked up the biggest win of her career last January when she defeated Indonesian contender Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol at “ONE: Eternal Glory”. And, after a year that saw her compete just once more – in muay Thai competition – “The Cyclone” will look to derail the Fairtex hype train.
But Fairtex has looked more accomplished with each appearance to date and, after picking up back-to-back victories over Asha Roka and Bi Nguyen in 2019, she will look to register her third straight MMA win by defeating Tomar on home soil.
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Former “TUF” ace targets hat trick of knockouts
Joining Fairtex and Tomar on the main card in Bangkok is a familiar face to hardcore UFC fans. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 and Dana White’s Contender Series competitor [autotag]Thanh Le[/autotag] takes on Japanese Shooto featherweight champion [autotag]Ryogo Takahashi[/autotag] in a lightweight matchup.
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Le’s clinical striking saw him claim stoppage victories in both “TUF” and the Contender Series, but he didn’t get his chance to show his striking prowess inside the UFC octagon. But the UFC’s loss has been ONE’s gain, with the former LFA interim featherweight champion arriving in Asia with a bang in 2019.
Le (10-2) starched fancied featherweight contender Yusup Saadulaev with a knee on his promotional debut at “ONE: For Honor” in May, then trumped that performance with a one-hitter quitter as he finished former ONE lightweight champion Kotetsu Boku at “ONE: Dreams of Gold” in August. Now he takes on Takahashi (13-3) in a bout that could propel the winner into the orbit of current ONE featherweight champion Christian Lee.
The preliminary card in Bangkok will feature the ONE Championship debut of former CFFC fighter [autotag]Joey Pierotti[/autotag], who will take on dangerous Russian [autotag]Raimond Magomedaliev[/autotag] in a welterweight bout.
Magomedaliev (5-1) lost his undefeated record on his ONE debut as he dropped a unanimous decision to rising contender James Nakashima at “ONE: Conquest of Champions” in November, and will be looking to put things right in Bangkok against Pierotti (12-1), who hasn’t lost since a 2018 submission loss to current UFC prospect – and 2019 MMA Junkie Upset of the Year winner – Tristan Connelly. Eleven of Pierotti’s 12 career wins have come inside the distance, with six victories coming by way of knockout and five by submission.
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The full 12-fight card for Bangkok features six MMA matchups, one kickboxing contest and five muay Thai bouts, including the overall main event, as Thailand’s ONE flyweight muay Thai champion, Rodtang Jitmuangnon, takes on the man he defeated to win the belt last year, England’s Jonathan Haggerty.
Full MMA card for “ONE Championship 106: A New Tomorrow” includes:
MAIN CARD
- Stamp Fairtex vs. Puja Tomar
- Thanh Le vs. Ryogo Takahashi
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Raimond Magomedaliev vs. Joey Pierotti
- Ma Jia Wen vs. Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg
- Maira Mazar vs. Ayaka Miura
- Yohan Mulia Legowo vs. Roel Rosauro