FREE FULL FIGHT: Filipino star Denice Zamboanga's unrelenting pressure in stunning upset of Mei Yamaguchi

To be considered an elite-level fighter, an athlete must be able to stand toe-to-toe and ulitmately defeat an icon of the sport. For ONE women's atomweight MMA star Denice Zamboanga, her big moment came in 2020.

On February 28, the rising Filipino star faced an icon of combat sports in the form of Japanese grappling legend Mei Yamaguchi at ONE: King of the Jungle in just her second fight under ONE Championship.

Zamboanga had a great first impression on fans when she dominated Jihin Radzuan in an all-out brawl the year prior and many quickly viewed her as the Philippines' biggest chance at having their first-ever women's MMA world titleholder.

Against 'V.V' though, Zamboanga needed to keep the fight standing to prevent their match from falling into the Japanese star's realm of grappling.

Zamboanga's grappling and takedown defense held up quite well while her striking was extremely precise and had a ton of power behind it, allowing her to take the unanimous decision after three rounds of heart-stopping action.

Watch her handiwork against Yamaguchi below:

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Denice Zamboanga gets her MMA world championship shot

The T-Rex MMA Training Center product will challenge reigning ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand at ONE 167 on June 7.

There will definitely be no shortage of action from either side of the ONE circle due to both of them coming from striking backgrounds, but the most interesting about their impending clash is the years of friendship behind them.

With an opportunity to become an MMA world champion on the line though, all niceties must be left out for the time being.

ONE 167 will air live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.