Stamp Fairtex Fires Back at Ritu Phogat: “I’m not scared of her at all”
Former two-sport ONE World Champion Stamp Fairtex recently responded to Ritu Phogat’s claim that the Thai warrior showed fear during their staredown at ONE: Empower.
Stamp, the #2-ranked atomweight contender, believes it’s Phogat who is afraid of what’s to come.
“I do respect Ritu, she is a great fighter. She’s great at what she does, which is wrestling. I’m great at what I have, which is Muay Thai. That being said, I’m not scared of her at all. It’s quite the opposite,” Stamp said in a recent interview with ONE Championship.
“I have full confidence in my skills, so I don’t know what she’s talking about. To me, it’s more like whoever imposes their will in this fight is going to take home the victory.”
Stamp and has traded barbs with Phogat, the #4-ranked atomweight contender, for the past few weeks leading up to their highly anticipated showdown. The two are scheduled to square off in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final, set for ONE: Winter Warriors on Friday, December 3.
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“I think Ritu has to be concerned with my striking and all of my weapons. That’s why she’s going to try to take me down the first chance she gets,” Stamp said.
“I have to keep this a long-range fight. But in case she successfully takes me to the canvas, I’ll be ready. I’ve worked a lot on my takedown defense in training too.”
The Stamp-Phogat showdown offers the classic striker versus grappler dynamic, which many fans love. However, this fight could go to who wants it more, or whoever can impose their game plan.
Stamp, for the most part, remains confident she can handle Phogat on the ground. Phogat is an Indian wrestling champion who has used her mat skills to dominate so far in her time in ONE Championship.
That being said, Stamp believes in her skills enough to think the can hang with Phogat on the mat, if the fight hits the canvas.
“I would say my ground game is constantly improving each time I fight. It has been five years since I started training, and I never thought I’d get this far. Now to be in the Grand Prix finals, I’m even more confident of my grappling skills,” Stamp said.
“I just want to get better everyday, and that’s what I’m focused on. For this fight in particular, I’ve given extra focus on defending her wrestling. I think a lot of the fans will be surprised.”
Stamp and Phogat lock horns in the highly anticipated ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final at ONE: Winter Warriors, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, December 3.
The winner will earn the right to face ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee when the Singaporean superstar returns sometime in 2022.
