Stamp Fairtex is the ONE Championship Atomweight Grand Prix winner and will face Angela Lee in 2022. The Thai fighter submitted Ritu Phogat in the tournament final at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday night (local time).
The fight pitted the wrestling of Phogat against Stamp’s Muay Thai, but the Thai fighter’s it was the ground game of the Thai fighter that ultimately made the difference. The Indian tried for her first takedown within the opening 10 seconds and did not stop trying.
But Stamp’s takedown defense was on point in the opening round. When Phogat succeeded in taking her down, she was back on her feet seconds later. The veteran wrestler pressed her opponent up against the cage for several minutes, but could not put her on her back for any length of time.
At one point, Phogat succeeded in picking Stamp up and seemed set so slam her down, but was caught in a guillotine. The Indian opted for a safety first approach and gave up the takedown in order to continue clinching against the cage.
At the start of the second round, Phogat finally got her takedown. With Stamp on her back, the Indian fighter seemed to be in ascendancy, but seconds later the fight would be over.
Stamp threw up her legs, looking for a guillotine. Phogat was in trouble and managed to get her head out of danger, but could not escape when the Muay Thai veteran locked onto an arm.
The armbar was tight and the tap came at the 2:14 mark. With the win, Stamp became the Atomweight Grand Prix winner, earning a shot at Angela Lee, and improved her record to 8-1.
Phogat dropped to 7-2. It’s back to the drawing board for the Indian, whose title dreams are in tatters. Speaking afterward, Stamp said, “I will try my best to take down Angela Lee and take her belt.”
Other ONE: Winter Warriors results
Saygid Arslanaliev (9-2) and Timofey Nastyukhin (14-6) put on the fight of the night. But the outcome was the same as the first meeting between the two lightweights with the man from Dagestan winning by stoppage due to strikes.
Marcus Almeida (2-0) submitted Ji Won Kang (5-1) in the opening round. The BJJ black belt has won two ONE Championship fights in quick succession and looks set to be a genuine contender in the heavyweight division.
(James Goyder is the owner/editor of AsianMMA.com)
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ONE: Winter Warriors Official Results
- Kickboxing – Lightweight: Regian Eersel def. Islam Murtazaev via Split Decision
- MMA – Atomweight: Stamp Fairtex def. Ritu Phogat via Submission (Armbar) at 2:14 of R2
- Kickboxing – Bantamweight: Hiroki Akimoto def. Qiu Jianliang via Unanimous Decision
- MMA – Lightweight: Dagi Arslanaliev def. Timofey Nastyukhin via TKO at 0:49 of R3
- MMA – Heavyweight: Buchecha def. Kang Ji Won via Submission (Rear-naked Choke) at 2:27 of R1
- MMA – Flyweight: Yuya Wakamatsu def. Hu Yong via Unanimous Decision
ONE: Winter Warriors Highlights – Stamp Fairtex finishes Ritu Phogat
(Video courtesy of ONE Championship)
Stamp Fairtex wins ONE Championship Atomweight Grand Prix
