“A lot of unexpected moves” - Denice Zamboanga can’t afford to take it easy against ‘unpredictable’ Alyona Rassohyna

Denice Zamboanga won't make the mistake of underestimating Alyona Rassohyna.

After putting together a trio of noteworthy wins against Lin Heqin, Julie Mezabarba, and Noelle Grandjean, Zamboanga will fight for her first 26 pounds of gold when she meets Rassohyna for the interim ONE atomweight MMA world championship.

Their highly anticipated clash goes down this Friday night at ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

It will be Rassohyna's first time competing on martial arts' biggest global stage in over three years. However, despite her lengthy layoff, Zamboanga knows that the well-rounded Ukrainian will still pose an undeniable threat.

In a recnent interview with ONE Championship, Zamboanga said:

"I saw how well-rounded she is. She’s so unpredictable. There are a lot of unexpected moves, and that’s her strength."

Thus far, Rassohyna's only two appearances inside the Circle came against the promotion's reigning undisputed atomweight MMA queen, Stamp Fairtex. Rassohyna scored an impressive third-round submission victory against Stamp at ONE: Unbreakable III.

However, Stamp stormed back seven months later and landed a decision victory over Rassohyna at ONE's first-ever all women's event, ONE: Empower, in 2021.

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Denice Zamboanga hopes to celebrate her birthday and a ONE title win in January

On Jan. 13, three days after her interim title clash with Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27—Denice Zamboanga will celebrate her 28th birthday.

Speaking with the promotion, 'The Menace' can't help but get excited over the idea of celebrating her first ONE world title victory alongside her birthday. Not to mention kickstarting the new year with the biggest win of her mixed martial arts career thus far:

"It’s going to be a big deal for me if I start the year with a win. I’m also gonna be celebrating my birthday this January as well, so I truly want to celebrate my birthday with a world title."

Sitting as the second-ranked contender in the atomweight MMA division, Zamboanga holds an 11-2 record in MMA with six of her wins coming under the ONE Championship banner. Will 'The Menace' add win number 12 and set the stage for a future showdown with undisputed atomweight champion Stamp Fairtex?

Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 27 live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Jan. 10 in U.S. primetime.