Moments Of Brilliance Help Stamp Fairtex To Decision Win Over Jihin Radzuan
Stamp Fairtex solidified her position as the top atomweight contender in a 15-minute war of attrition with Malaysian sensation Jihin Radzuan on Friday, September 30.
Although the MMA fight was contested at a catchweight of 120.75 pounds, the Thai megastar overcame some early pressure from the #5-ranked contender to turn the tables and secure a convincing unanimous decision victory at ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III.
Both athletes seemed content to slug it out inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium at the start of round one, but Jihin quickly switched gears and pressed her foe against the Circle Wall in a relentless search for the takedown.
Stamp briefly countered and slid into the mount position, but once the Malaysian escaped, she went straight back on the hunt for a takedown. Despite her best efforts, Jihin struggled to solidify any dominance.
They traded strikes again at the beginning of round two. “Shadow Cat” threw sharp punches and low kicks, while Stamp replied with hard counters.
The Pattaya resident eventually hurt Jihin with a stiff right hand as she moved forward. Then, she drilled the Malaysian with a knee and dove straight to back control.
Stamp spent much of the stanza working from the back, but the Malaysian’s solid defense helped her escape the position and finish the round on top.
The defining moment of the fight came early in round three when Stamp smashed her left elbow into the Ultimate MMA Academy product’s mouth, which instantly crumpled her to the mat.
Stamp rallied with elbows on the ground to try to finish the job, but the durable “Shadow Cat” hung on.
A late armbar attempt gave Stamp something to think about, but the Fairtex representative countered with a kneebar of her own. Jihin was wise to the technique and escaped the submission hold, and the pair ended a fascinating encounter on the mat.
In the end, Stamp took the well-earned nod from the judges, pushing her record to 9-2 and staking her claim for another shot at Angela Lee’s ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title in the future.
