Angela Lee Retires, Stamp Fairtex Finishes Ham Seo Hee To Become ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion
A heartfelt passing of the guard occurred at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham this past Friday, September 29.
After longtime divisional queen Angela Lee took to the Circle to announce her retirement, the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title bout between Stamp Fairtex and Ham Seo Hee had a lot more riding on the line.
Their match would no longer be for the interim belt. It would be for the lineal belt.
With that, the tension rose as soon as the main event began inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Stamp and Ham stood opposite of each other, both circling carefully and attacking intently.
But in round two, the fight escalated into dangerous territory.
Stamp began unleashing her signature rights kicks, working them up and down the left side of her South Korean opponent’s rigid frame. Desperate, Ham stung the Thai megastar with a straight punch that dropped her to the canvas.
Stamp recovered in the scramble and, with mere seconds left in round two, secured an armbar. Luckily for the South Korean, the bell sounded and she made it to the third frame.
Little did Ham know, she’d never make it out.
When round three started, Stamp turned up the intensity and would find an opening for a straight right to the body. Upon impact, “Hamzzang” recoiled and backpedaled away.
The Thai megastar pursued Ham, digging into her ribs with more body shots. She followed up with a few knees, dropped her South Korean rival, and then pounced to get the TKO finish at the 1:04 mark of the frame.
With the victory, Stamp pushed her MMA record to 11-2, became the new ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion, and made history as the first athlete to hold World Title gold in three sports.
Also, she earned a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, and she had the chance to pay respect to the woman she not only competed against, but has looked up to as inspiration.
“I just want to remind you that I love you so much,” Stamp said to Lee following the landmark win. “And you will always be my idol.”
