Stamp Fairtex will officially defend the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship for the very first time against a familiar foe this summer.

ONE Championship recently announced that the Thai superstar will face former teammate Denice Zamboanga in the main event of ONE 167 on Friday, June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Stamp Fairtex and Denice Zamboanga’s path to ONE Glory

The pair previously trained together at the famed Fairtex Training Center before Zamboanga left to work with other camps. Both women have competed and excelled in the same division for some time, so their paths were almost destined to cross at some point. Now, it looks like they have.

Zamboanga started her run in ONE Championship with three straight victories, including one against former World Title challenger Mei Yamaguchi who quickly vaulted her into the World Title conversation.

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However, then-titleholder Angela Lee announced her pregnancy shortly after, leading to her taking a break from competition that prevented the Filpina star from challenging for the gold.

Zamboanga would instead compete in the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Grand Prix in hopes of asserting her claim to a shot at the coveted divisional crown. Unfortunately, she lost controversially to veteran Ham Seo Hee in the first round of the tournament.

For her part, Stamp went on to win the Grand Prix, and she unsuccessfully challenged Lee for the World Title at ONE X in March 2022. Since then, both Stamp and Zamboanga have shined in the atomweight MMA division.

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High expectations set for the main event and co-main event of ONE 167

Stamp earned a shot at the interim belt against Ham at ONE Fight Night 14 last September. But in a surprise twist, their match was upgraded to contest the undisputed World Title after Lee announced her retirement earlier in the night.

The Thai superstar won that match and the gold, becoming the first athlete in ONE Championship history to win a World Title in three sports.

Meanwhile, Zamboanga is on a dominant two-fight winning streak, and she holds the #2-ranked contender position in the division. There is arguably no more deserving fighter than her to be the first to challenge Stamp’s reign.

The co-main event of ONE 167 will see Tawanchai PK Saenchai defending the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title against “Smokin” Jo Nattawut in a rematch of their epic kickboxing bout at ONE Fight Night 15 last October.

Buakaw Banchamek Explains Why Stamp Fairtex Is a “Master”; Gives High Praise for the Three-Sport Champ