Friends and former teammates Stamp Fairtex and Denice Zamboanga are going to go at it in ONE Championship next month, and they got to size each other up for the first time last weekend. 

On Friday, May 3, at ONE Fight Night 22, the protagonists of ONE 167’s main event went face-to-face in the middle of the ring inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Both appeared to be playful, jolly, and respectful throughout the encounter, but when they meet again in the Circle on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, things will be more serious.

Stamp Fairtex and Denice Zamboanga on their friendship

Speaking to ONE commentator Mitch Chilson, Stamp said that while their close relationship is something she values, there is one thing that matters more to her.  “If you talk about our friendship, yes, it’s hard to put that aside,” she said, “But that belt is more important, so it’s very easy for me.” 

For her part, Zamboanga recognized her friend’s achievements and improvements but said that she is also aiming for something that goes beyond friendship. “I know Stamp very well ever since we trained together. But I know she improved a lot in her dream, and she’s a champion for a reason,” she said, “I treat her as my sister. We trained before, and I treat her as my family. But I will do my best to make history as the first Filipina World Champion.”

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Stamp and ‘The Menace’ got to know each other while training at the famed Fairtex Training Center. They honed their skills together for some time but always knew that, given they compete in the same division, a showdown was inevitable. Now that both women are at the top of their games, that time has arrived.

The friends are destined to fight each other

Stamp is a three-sport World Champion and is currently riding a four-fight winning streak. She previously held the atomweight Muay Thai and kickboxing World Titles simultaneously before moving to MMA. The 26-year-old sensation won the vacant divisional crown by defeating Ham Seo Hee this past September, and her first defense will come against her old friend next month.

On the other hand, Zamboanga is on a roll of her own. She scored back-to-back victories in her last two ONE Championship outings to cement her #2-ranked contender position, and she is ready to take Stamp into her world at ONE 167. “I know Stamp. She trained very hard. We trained very hard. I know she prepared a lot of her striking and also her grappling. But I could say that I will use my ground game advantage,” she said.  

Meanwhile, the atomweight MMA queen is confident that she has the skills necessary to overcome ‘The Menace’ and she wants to play to her strengths to honor her country.  “I’m probably going to use Muay Thai because I’m fighting here in Thailand, so Muay Thai is the way to go,” Stamp said.