“Don’t worry about that” - Stamp Fairtex says her knee felt fine after tough war with Kana at ONE 173

Stamp Fairtex made her long-awaited return to competition last week in Japan. She did not win but shared that the knee she injured and kept her out for some time held up just fine.

The Thai superstar battled veteran Japanese fighter Kana Morimoto in an atomweight kickboxing match at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Nov. 16 at Tokyo's Ariake Arena. It marked her first fight in over two years after she injured her knee while in training early last year.

For three rounds, the Fairtex Training Center standout fought valiantly against the relentless aggressiveness of 'Krusher Queen' and had her moments of brilliance. In the end though, it was not enough to sway the judges in her favor.

In a post-fight interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin, Stamp shared her assessment of her performance, highlighting that she was still getting her groove back but at the same time thankful that she did not reinjure her knee.

The 28-year-old martial artist said:

"I’m not surprised by her, she brought the same whole style that I’ve seen. But my body is just kinda not good. That’s it. My knee wasn’t hurt. Don’t worry about that."

Check out what Stamp had to say below:

The contest at ONE 173 also marked Stamp's return to kickboxing after competing in MMA in her previous two fights.

The full of replay of ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri is available on demand on live.onefc.com.

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Stamp admits to feeling sad following loss at ONE 173

While she accepted her loss at ONE 173, Stamp admitted to feeling some sadness because she really wanted to make it a winning return not only for herself but also for her team and supporters.

She shared it as she made her way to the backstage of the Ariake Arena following her tough battle against Kana Morimoto.

Stamp shared a two-word reaction to the defeat, saying:

"I'm sad."

Before ONE 173, Stamp was last in action in September 2023 to claim the vacant ONE atomweight MMA world title and make history as the promotion's only three-sport world champion, having previously held the division's kickboxing and Muay Thai belts.

While preparing to make her first defense of the MMA world title early last year, she tore her meniscus, which eventually forced her to relinquish the title to allow things to move on in the atomweight division.

Now, Stamp is looking to get back her previous formidable form and start piling up the wins again.