MMA: Stamp Fairtex in full support of good friend Denice Zamboanga in title shot | ABS-CBN

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MMA: Stamp Fairtex in full support of good friend Denice Zamboanga in title shot

MMA: Stamp Fairtex in full support of good friend Denice Zamboanga in title shot

ABS-CBN News

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Thai fighter Stamp Fairtex. Photo courtesy of Stamp Fairtex on Instagram

MANILA, Philippines -- Up-and-coming Thai star Stamp Fairtex has no problems with putting her title aspirations on hold while her good friend, Filipina fighter Denice Zamboanga, challenges for the ONE atomweight title.

The 22-year-old Fairtex burst into the scene via the ONE Warrior Series, where her 19-second knockout of Rashi Shinde via head kick earned her a ONE Championship contract.

In her ONE debut, she showcased her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in submitting India's Asha Roka via rear naked choke at ONE: Dreams of Gold in Bangkok.

She experienced a setback last February when she lost her kickboxing championship to American Janet Todd, but that may just spur Fairtex to focus on another discipline.

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Her mixed martial arts record currently stands at 4-0, and she is currently being touted as a future contender against reigning champion Angela Lee. However, Fairtex is the first to say that she has a long way to go.

"It is still a long way for me. I'll need to practice my ground game and learn more techniques to use in my next fight," said the young fighter.

Instead, Fairtex is in full support of Zamboanga, who is expected to challenge Lee for the title.

The Filipina earned her shot after a career-best performance against former challenger Mei Yamaguchi, beating the Japanese veteran via unanimous decision in February.

"In my opinion, Denice is a fantastic and well-rounded athlete -- especially in striking, and showed she's better than Mei. I look forward to seeing her fight for the title soon," said Fairtex.

The two up-and-coming stars both train out of the Fairtex Gym in Pattaya, and are mainstays in each other's social media accounts where they show off their dance moves and their training sessions.

With both women having strong title ambitions, Fairtex insists their friendship is strong enough to withstand the competition.

"I think it's okay for both of us, because it means we are both top athletes in this weight class who can compete with Angela Lee," she explained. "I think Denice will be the right opponent (for Lee), having beaten Mei in her last fight."

"If she beats Angela, I would be proud of her," Fairtex added. "But if she loses, no worries. I'll get revenge for her."

Fairtex is also confident that their friendship can survive even if they one day face off inside the ring.

"If one day, me and Denice compete against each other, we both know that we're going to try our best on stage, and once we've done our job, we'll always remain best friends," she said.

The coronavirus pandemic has put a pause on all sports events at present, and both Fairtex and Zamboanga are in isolation in Thailand.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website).

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