Thai MMA star Stamp Fairtex. Handout/ONE ChampionshipMANILA -- ONE Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex says her road to recovery from a knee injury is "long" but "steady."
The Thai star was supposed to defend her title against Filipino fighter Denice Zamboanga at ONE 167 in June, but tore her meniscus during training camp and had to withdraw from the bout.
Five months later, Stamp says she is progressing well and is now set to take her training to the next level.
"My long and steady recovery process [is going well]. Now my knee moves nearly normally working on my squat variations. I definitely feel more comfortable pushing hard," she said.
"The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible," she added.
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Recalling her injury, Fairtex said: "I was training with my friend. While we were sparring, she took my back and she wanted to lift me up. But she is smaller than me, so when she lifted me up, my feet were still on the ground. When she twisted, my knee twisted also and it got hurt."
While she recovers, the division is set to crown an interim champion, with Zamboanga and Alyonna Rassohyna facing off at ONE Fight Night 27 on January 11, 2025/
The winner will almost certainly get the first crack at Stamp once she returns.
Already, Zamboanga is already looking forward to that moment.
"My friend Stamp, I'm wishing you a quick recovery!" she said. "Once you're back, I can't wait for us to meet in the Circle."