“Champions go through adversities” - Denice Zamboanga says tough times will make world title win much sweeter

Denice Zamboanga hasn't been deterred by the recent setbacks in her fighting career.

Over the past year, Zamboanga's desire to acquire greatness has been tested by factors outside her control. In mid-2024, the ONE women's atomweight MMA contender missed out on an undisputed title shot at ONE 167 when Stamp Fairtex suffered a torn meniscus while training.

Zamboanga also encountered injuries herself in 2024, forcing her to overcome adversity to continue pursuing her goals. Speaking in a recent interview with ONE, the 27-year-old had this to say about overcoming the setbacks:

"Champions go through adversities, they go through tests and they don’t let it get them down. It’s a process."

Zamboanga started her ONE Championship tenure with three consecutive wins. Between mid-2021 and early 2022, Zamboanga suffered back-to-back losses against Ham Seo Hee, postponing her run for a ONE world title.

Since then, Zamboanga has bounced back with wins against Lin Heqin, Julie Mezabarba, and Noelle Grandjean. Heading into 2025, 'The Menace' plans to continue building momentum and eventually fight for undisputed gold.

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Denice Zamboanga looks to secure gold at ONE Fight Night 27

In June 2024, Denice Zamboanga stayed on the ONE 167 fight card after Stamp Fairtex pulled out of their title fight. Zamboanga was matched up against short-notice opponent Noelle Grandjean and secured a unanimous decision win.

On Jan. 10, Zamboanga's pursuit of gold will be rewarded with an interim women's atomweight MMA world title fight at ONE Fight Night 27. The Filipino superstar's upcoming opponent is Alyona Rassohyna.

Rassohyna has only fought twice in ONE Championship, both against Stamp Fairtex. The Ukrainian fighter started with a third-round submission win in February 2021 before losing the rematch by split decision in September 2021.

Rassohyna is undoubtedly motivated to secure a trilogy bout to settle her series with Stamp. Meanwhile, Zamboanga believes she deserves to fight her close friend and former training partner after their original date was scratched.

ONE Fight Night 27 goes down inside the iconic combat sports venue of Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Friday's event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.