ONE Championship: Jihin Radzuan responds to Stamp Fairtex rematch talk, ‘very impressed’ by title win
- Radzuan lost to Stamp in 2022, but she helped the Thai star prepare for her recent atomweight MMA title win over Ham Seo-hee
- Malaysian beat Jenelyn Olsim by decision the day before Stamp’s win, and may soon be in position for rematch with new training partner
Jihin Radzuan was very impressed by Stamp Fairtex’s latest ONE Championship title win – but insists she it not thinking about a rematch yet.
Thailand’s Stamp (11-2), who previously held ONE’s atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai titles, became the promotion’s undisputed atomweight MMA champion with a TKO victory over South Korean veteran Ham Seo-hee at ONE Fight Night 14 late last month in Singapore.
Malaysia’s Radzuan (9-3) lost a decision to the new champion almost a year earlier to the day, but was called upon to serve as one of the Thai’s chief training partners ahead of the title fight, and was glad to see their efforts in the gym pay off.
“I was expecting this fight is going to be brutal,” Radzuan, 25, told the Post this week from Pattaya, where she has been working with Stamp at Fairtex Training Centre. “[I expected] some striking exchanges and some takedown defence and everything.
“Stamp did very impressive work.”
Radzuan has been doing her best Ham impressions at Fairtex since June.
If Stamp’s performance against the South Korean was any indication, inviting Radzuan to the gym was a good decision.
Radzuan, of course, has also benefited from the arrangement.
“Working with her, it’s a great experience that I can improve my striking,” the Malaysian said. “Then for the grappling, you can see I did some work with her.”
Radzuan flaunted the upgrades to her game one day before Stamp defeated Ham, defeating Filipino mainstay Jenelyn Olsim via third-round armbar.
It was the Malaysian’s first fight since she was defeated by Stamp a year earlier, and she was glad to move past the loss to her new training partner.
“It’s good to be back in the fighting scene,” she said. “I’ve been away for almost a year. That fight, it really put me back on the fighting map.
“I was scared that I might freeze or something, but I did quite well.”
The win over Olsim cemented Radzuan’s position as ONE’s No 5-ranked atomweight MMA contender, and it should set her up for another big fight in the division.
One fight that she sees as a possibility is a rematch with No 2-ranked Filipino Denice Zamboanga, whom she lost a decision to in 2019.
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She is also willing to welcome No 3 contender Alyona Rassohyna back to the Circle – though it does not seem to be her first choice.
Ukraine’s Rassohyna has not fought since a decision loss to Stamp in 2021, having taken a hiatus to give birth to her second daughter, but is aiming to return to action soon.
“You know my style, I’ll never deny any fight,” Radzuan said when asked about a Rassohyna match-up. “I just accept the offer, as long as there’s nothing blocking me from getting the fight.
“The thing is, she’s been away for like two years. I don’t think that she deserves the ranking. I think we should give to someone who fought recently, maybe Itsuki [Hirata] or someone, but we’ll see how it goes.”
One way or the other, if Radzuan continues to win, and Stamp maintains control of the title, it is possible the two training partners will asked to fight again – with a belt on the line.
Radzuan, who is determined to become a champion herself one day, would not refuse that opportunity, but would prefer not to think about fighting her friend again until it is necessary.
“Like everyone in the weight division, my goal is to be the champion,” she said. “And when you got into the ring or the cage, it’s a fight, it’s our work. Of course, I’m not saying that right now I want to challenge Stamp.
“I will climb myself. I’m still friendly with [Stamp]. I love what she’s doing. I really look up to her, and it’s not my style to say, ‘She’s got a belt right now and I want to challenge her’. For now, I want to prove myself more, and then we’ll see from there.”
