"I treat her as my family" - Denice Zamboanga ready to set 'sisterhood' with Stamp aside to make history for Philippine MMA

Second-ranked ONE atomweight MMA contender Denice Zamboanga has gold in her sights and she won't let her rapport with Stamp Fairtex get in the way.

After all, 'The Menace' will etch her name in the annals of Philippine mixed martial arts history if she can do the unthinkable and usurp her old friend from the atomweight MMA throne.

On June 7, former Fairtex Training Center teammates Zamboanga and Stamp will set their friendship aside to determine the best 115-pound fighter in the promotion at ONE 167 inside Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

The pair even had a playful face-off at ONE Fight Night 22 over the weekend to promote their impending showdown.

While the challenger was all smiles throughout the whole ordeal, she claims it will be anything but cordial once the Circle door closes.

The 27-year-old Filipina told Mitch Chilson during the in-ring interview:

"I know Stamp. I treat her as my sister. We trained before and I treat her as my family. But I will do my best to make history as the first Filipina world champion."

ONE 167 will air live on US Primetime free for Prime Video subscribers in North America. The replay of ONE Fight Night 22 is also available on demand on the same platform.

What's the magnitude of Denice Zamboanga's title match against champ Stamp?

It's no wonder that Denice Zamboanga is setting her friendship aside with Stamp given the gravity of this possibly career-defining opportunity.

If the T-Rex MMA standout emerges victorious, she'll join a prestigious lineage of Filipino ONE world champions Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Geje Eustaquio, Kevin Belingon and Honorio Banario.

Denice Zamboanga will also be a trailblazer as the first female MMA world champion. In an earlier interview with The MMA Superfan, 'The Menace' talked about this life-changing chance:

“It hasn’t really sunk in with me yet, but my teammates keep saying that if I win this match, I’ll be the first Filipina MMA world champion. I don’t really consider it as added pressure on my part. I’ll just go with the flow."