KEY POINTS

  • Stamp and Mezabarba both claim they can knock each other out at ONE: NextGen
  • Mezabarba comes in as a replacement fighter for Seo Hee Ham after she pulled out due to injury
  • The Thai's striking pedigree could give her the advantage, but Mezabarba's ground game could turn the tides

Stamp Fairtex and Julie Mezabarba have called their shots against each other heading into their ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix semifinal fight this Friday, October 29.

During their virtual face-offs, ONE commentator Michael Schiavello asked both women how they see the fight playing out.

Mezabarba claimed that she could not care any less for how the fight would turn out because a win is a win but predicted a knockout all the same.

However, the Thai phenomenon cautioned the Brazilian when it comes to engaging with her on the feet.

“In my mind, I only need a victory. [Julie Mezabarba] wants to knock me out, but she better be careful because she might get knocked out instead,” Stamp sternly warned.

Her road to the semifinals started by defeating Alyon Rassohyna, avenging her controversial submission loss to the same fighter seven months prior to ONE: Empower.

Stamp’s stand-up game is well-known around the promotion, gaining both the atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai titles at the same time back in 2019.

As for Mezabarba, she made her way into the tournament as a replacement fighter for South Korea’s Seo Hee Ham, who pulled out due to injury, after defeating Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi in an alternate bout.

While fans were calling for Team Lakay’s Denice Zamboanga to enter the tournament instead of Mezabarba due to her controversial loss to Ham, her win over Yamaguchi was stipulated as an alternate bout, leading to her getting the nod.

Both fighters have three wins by way of knockout making their claims of getting the victory in that manner hold weight.

Undoubtedly, Stamp holds the major advantage in the stand-up game thanks to her pedigree, but Mezabarba also proved that she can mix it up on the feet after tagging Yamaguchi multiple times through three rounds.

The biggest question now is how would both fighters fare on the ground. Both women have a submission loss on their records.

Stamp has shown improvement in her ground game, almost forcing Rassohyna to tap to a rear-naked choke in the first round and escaping from an armbar attempt early in the third round.

Mezabarba said during the media call that she has confidence in her ground game, and it will be an interesting sight to see as to how she will utilize it against Stamp.

ONE: NextGen will be streaming live on the official ONE Super App and the official ONE YouTube channel in Asia on Friday, October 29 at 8:30 PM (Singapore Standard Time).

Meanwhile, the American audience can watch the entire event via B/R Live on Friday, October 29 at 8:30 AM ET.

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