‘I’m Only Scared Of One Move’ – Stamp Breaks Down Return Fight Against Dangerous Kana At ONE 173
Thai megastar Stamp Fairtex will be making her grand comeback to ONE Championship after spending the last two years rehabilitating a harrowing knee injury that nearly ended her career.
On Sunday, November 16, the former three-sport ONE World Champion will make her way back to the Circle at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri.
Stamp will face four-time K-1 Champion Kana “Krusher Queen” Morimoto in a three-round atomweight kickboxing contest at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on a night that also happens to be her birthday.
For the Fairtex Training Center product, the chance to face a decorated kickboxer in Kana — on the day of her birth — was simply too good to pass up.
The 27-year-old said:
“The reason I accepted the fight with Kana is that I feel she is the best in kickboxing in Tokyo, in Japan. I feel it’s a challenge. Whether I win or lose, there’s no harm in fighting her. I feel that fighting someone great is always a good thing.”
Stamp has never shied away from facing elite competition, even across three different combat sports. That’s what makes her a standout superstar in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
The former ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion also conquered the MMA crown to become the first and only athlete in ONE to have possessed three belts across three different disciplines simultaneously.
But the knee injury she suffered in 2022 nearly erased all of that. Now, the 27-year-old will come to Tokyo to retool, rebuild, and reestablish her dominance. That journey begins anew against Kana, and Stamp is confident she has her Japanese foe all figured out.
She said:
“If I had to analyze Kana, her strength is her speed, like her one-two combos and her in-and-out movement. As for her weakness, when she moves in and out quickly, she doesn’t always protect herself. I might be able to use a sweeping kick or something to interrupt her.”
That being said, the threats Kana poses are real. The multi-time K-1 Champion has showcased her lightning-quick hands and kicks in every fight so far. And although she fell short of victory against the likes of Anissa “C18” Meksen and “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom early in her ONE tenure, the 33-year-old veteran is a danger to anyone she faces.
Stamp understands this, and after analyzing “Krusher Queen’s” skill set, the 27-year-old likes her chances. She believes her power can dictate the fight’s terms, and she has sharpened her kicking acumen in training camp.
Admittedly, the former three-sport queen is worried about only one of Kana’s signature techniques. But she has worked on diversifying her striking arsenal to be able to handle whatever the Japanese fighter brings to the Circle.
The Thai megastar said:
“Her most dangerous weapons, I feel, are probably her punches and the calf kicks she has, because all Japanese fighters have those. I’m only scared of one move, the spinning back kick.
”The key to winning this time, I think, will be my power – like kicking her hard enough to stop her, to make her flinch. That’s what I have to do. I plan to kick her arms until they’re crushed.”
Stamp Seeks To Rebuild Rhythm Through Kickboxing
Following a two-year absence due to injury, Stamp Fairtex chose kickboxing for her return as a measured step back into elite competition.
Her long rehab from a torn meniscus, which ultimately forced her to relinquish the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title, made her seek a fight that could test her endurance, timing, and striking without immediately re-entering the all-encompassing world of MMA.
Now, she’s just weeks away from one of the most anticipated comebacks in combat sports when she faces Kana Morimoto in an atomweight kickboxing clash at ONE 173 on November 16.
Stamp explained her decision, revealing that her goal was to ease her body and mind back into the unique intensity of the fight game:
“I decided to go for kickboxing before MMA because I wanted to warm up my body first. I’ve been away for two years, and the muscle I lost after the surgery is all gone.
“I need to see how things go. I want to check my mental state, my physical condition, and if my endurance is still there. I want to see how this fight goes, and then move on to MMA.”
Stamp’s camp at Fairtex Training Center has centered on rebuilding muscle, sharpening her tools, and reclaiming the explosiveness that once made her a multi-sport dynamo.
She wants to show she remains more than a name in the record book. This return is a statement that she has recovered, learned, and is ready to compete at the highest level again.
The 27-year-old’s message is clear:
“What I want to show in this fight is that I’m still here. I’m not just a stepping stone for you to cross over.
“If you want to get past me, it’s going to be tough. I will try to show what I have, I will give it my best, and I will show everyone what Stamp Fairtex is all about.”
