Misfortune fell on the headline bout of ONE 167 earlier this week when ONE Championship announced the withdrawal of Stamp Fairtex.
The ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion was forced to pull out of the Saturday, 8th June, event after having to undergo surgery for a torn meniscus that she suffered while training.
Stamp was scheduled to defend the gold against Denice Zamboanga, but she now will have to rehab her injury. After the breaking news, the Thai megastar ensured fans she would return and asked them to send encouragement.
“Throughout the past, I had injuries, but I was still able to fight. But this is the first time that I had to have surgery. I am sad that I have to withdraw from this important fight that is coming up,” Stamp said.
"After the surgery, I need to continue my physical work. I will spend this time during this period to improve and develop myself. I promise that I will be back to the best I can be. I ask everyone to cheer me on."
In the wake of the shakeup, ONE announced plans to keep #2-ranked atomweight MMA contender Zamboanga on the ONE 167 card. She will now face judo star Noelle Grandjean inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Impact Arena.
Though relieved to still be competing, the Filipina star will undoubtedly feel disappointed that she won’t be challenging for a World Title. En route to earning a shot at Stamp, Zamboanga dispatched divisional threats in Lin Heqin and Julie Mezabarba with clinical performances.
“The Menace” will look to cement her position in the stacked atomweight MMA division with a third win, but her new opponent will certainly offer an interesting battle.
Grandjean has a golden opportunity to make her name known against Zamboanga. Should the Thai-French athlete topple her high-ranked foe, she could enter the World Title picture and add further heat to the weight bracket.
“Lil’ Monkey” entered the world’s largest martial arts organization as an unbeaten star, but she has struggled to maintain form across her four performances, going 2-2 overall.
Grandjean dispatched Lea Bivins with a first-round knockout in her promotional debut in 2022, but her next win wouldn’t come until Victoria Souza this past March at ONE Fight Night 20.
Her momentum slipped once again when she was submitted by Chihiro Sawada at ONE Fight Night 22 earlier this month, so fans can expect her to come out blazing against Zamboanga on June 7.
ONE 167 will now be headlined by the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title showdown between Tawanchai PK Saenchai and “Smokin” Jo Nattawut. The pair will meet a second time after their kickboxing firefight last year.
The co-main will see the return of ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who battles Bosnian-Canadian striker Denis Puric in flyweight kickboxing.
