MMA star Stamp Fairtex had to sit out for over a year due to a severe knee injury. Prior to that, the young fighter had held world titles in MMA, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai in ONE Championship. She is on the recovery trail and is looking to make a comeback in 2025 and has an idea of when she will return to the cage.
Stamp Fairtex Injured
The reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex suffered a significant knee injury that forced her to withdraw from her scheduled title defense at ONE 167. the partner tried to lift and twist Stamp, but her leg remained on the ground, causing her knee to twist unnaturally and would later require surgery. Stamp Fairtex suffered a torn meniscus in her left knee.
On this injury, Stamp explained in a recent interview:
“I was training with my friend, my partner, and we were sparring. She locked me to take my back, and she wanted to lift me. She’s stronger than me, so when she lifted me, my face was still in the car. When she twisted, my knee twisted too, and it got hurt.
“After surgery, it was really, really bad. Like, why? Why did I get hurt? Why did I have to have surgery? I hadn’t fought for a long time—already one year. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t do the same things as before. Everything felt bad for me.”
Now the Thai-born athlete is in recovery, Stamp added that she misses training. She continued:
“My recovery is going so much better. Now I feel like maybe 65 or 70 percent. I think by December, I can train at 100 percent, or something like that. I’m not back to training 100 percent yet. I’m only doing PT to build the muscle in my knee. That’s it.
“When I see everyone fight, when I see everyone training, I feel like I’m hungry to train again. I’m hungry to fight again. It’s so boring when I’m at my hometown.
“After surgery, I felt like I lost a year. It’s already almost 500 days, and I feel like everything went backward. I lost my skill, I lost my focus. Now, I know I have to build my muscle, focus again, and pay attention when I come back to training. Everyone wants my belt. My opponents are training and improving their skills, but I feel stuck. When I come back, I have to focus, learn more, and update my skills.”
Stamp Fairtex Comeback
Being unable to train in the gym, Stamp Fairtex went home to stay with her parents and help on their farm. She began her Muay Thai career when she was still a child as a way to help bring in more money for her family. Now, she has become a star in combat sports having collected gold in Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and, most recently, MMA.
On staying at home, she said:
“I just sleep, don’t do anything. I walk to the Douyin farm, come back, sleep, eat, play on my phone. I really, really miss training, Muay Thai, and MMA. I miss everyone because usually I talk a lot with everyone. But when I’m back home, no one talks to me. I’m really quiet. I talk to my dog, Oli.”
For her next fight in ONE Championship, Stamp Fairtex says that after her knee recovery and hitting the gym, she will be ready to go in April or May 2025. She added:
“Maybe May or April … I feel like I’m falling behind while everyone else is improving their skills, power, and muscle … It’s been one year, and no one has seen me training on social media—just dancing or something. I’m still the same, still funny, but I promise I’m going to come back. I’m 27, and I don’t know how long I’ll fight.
“Now is my time to shine and show everyone who I am. I’ll be back.”
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