'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Denice Zamboanga's time to fight for ONE gold has arrived, and the stakes couldn't be any higher and more interesting as she resumes her quest for MMA glory.
'The Menace' meets close friend and ex-sparring partner Stamp Fairtex at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1, with the latter’s atomweight MMA world title on the line inside the Lusail Sports Arena.
Following a pair of back-to-back defeats to top-ranked contender Ham Seo Hee in September 2021 and March 2022, Denice Zamboanga got back into the thick of winning with a pair of decisive wins over Lin Heqin and Julie Mezabarba over the past 24 months.
Trending
With confidence in her stride, the Filipino athlete hopes to make it three in a row when she makes her eighth appearance on the global stage of ONE Championship.
Speaking to Philstar.com ahead of her scheduled five-round tilt, Denice Zamboanga said:
“I feel that I have been prepared for this moment. I feel that this is God’s will, that the Lord has a purpose to delay my world title shot. I feel that this time, it is really mine.”
The time is now for Denice Zamboanga
The No.2-ranked contender was previously tipped as the favorite to challenge then-divisional queen ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee for her 26 pounds of gold.
But Lee’s pregnancy, coupled with Denice Zamboanga’s defeats, meant that she had to rightfully stake a claim for a shot at the ONE world title.
During that time, Stamp went on a tear in the division, winning the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship to earn a shot at the divisional strap.
The Thai bagged the gold and achieved three-sport supremacy when she took on Ham at ONE Fight Night 14 last September, just minutes after Angela Lee announced her departure from the sport.
The Fairtex Training Center megastar has looked unstoppable in the all-encompassing sport, but it’ll be interesting to see which version of Denice Zamboanga shows up in this world title tilt.
If the 27-year-old can rediscover the form that helped her onto an 8-0 run at the start of her professional MMA career, the Quezon City native could well walk away with the gold that she’s long wanted when ONE Championship debuts in Qatar on March 1.
Check your local listings to catch all the action at ONE 166. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for more news on the star-studded card.
