Like any other fan of high-level MMA, former two-division ONE world champion Aung La N Sang is looking forward to the upcoming atomweight showdown between Stamp Fairtex (8-2) and Jihin Radzuan (8-2) on Friday at ONE on Prime Video 2.
The former champ-champ recently gave his thoughts on that matchup, breaking down each fighter’s strengths and weaknesses.
A former ONE atomweight Muay thai and kickboxing world champion, Stamp’s MMA career reached an all-time high in 2021 when she won three consecutive bouts to become the ONE women’s atomweight world grand prix champion. Despite her deep background in the striking arts, the 24-year-old Thai athlete has displayed well-rounded and even dangerous grappling skills.
And for her part, Jihin enters this fight with three straight wins under the ONE championship banner. A wushu world champion, the 24-year-old Malaysian is a true all-around talent with the ability to trade punch-kick combinations on the feet just as easily as she’ll hunt for submissions on the ground.
In many ways, N Sang sees this bout as a classic striker versus grappler contest.
“This is a very even matchup,” he said. “Stamp is 8-2, Jihin is 8-2. Stamp’s background is muay Thai. Very, very heavy on the kicks, punches, and the clinch knees. Jihin is very, very strong on the full MMA grappling, and MMA striking as well.”
According to “The Burmese Python,” Jihin will be trying to close the distance where she can press her presumed edge in grappling by bringing the fight to the mat.
In order to get it there, though, she’ll have to survive the buzzsaw that is Stamp’s muay Thai arsenal – punches and kicks at distance, as well as knees and elbows from close range.
But even once they’re on the mat, “Shadow Cat” must respect Stamp’s submission prowess. After all, the Thai is now a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt who owns two submission wins.
“It’s a real toss-up because I can see Jihin shutting down Stamp, closing the distance, putting her on her back, and not getting submitted,” N Sang said. “I think Jihin’s grappling is good enough to not get submitted by Stamp. At the same time, in order for Jihin to close the distance, she’s going to be [getting] hit by, you know, Stamp’s knees and elbows.”
Ultimately, N Sang believes this matchup between the No. 1 and No. 5-ranked atomweight contenders will come down to who had a better camp leading up to the contest, and who is able to better execute their strategy on fight night, and because this bout carries serious world title implications, fans can expect to see each woman in top form.
For N Sang, the clash between Stamp and Jihin is simply too close to call.
“It’s a big toss-up between these two and who’s going to get it,” he added. “Who put in the better camp, for sure, and who’s able to implement the game plan (will win).”
