Denice Zamboanga contemplated retiring from competition after recent injury setback: “It reached that point already”

Second-ranked ONE Championship women's atomweight MMA contender 'The Menace' Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines was so disheartened by her recent injury setback that it got her thinking of retiring from competition altogether.

When it reaches that point in an athlete's mind, it is dangerous territory. Zamboanga had been scheduled to challenge for the ONE world title on many prior occasions, but something had always gotten in the way.

This latest injury had her demoralized.

But the 27-year-old Quezon City resident chose to rise above the occasion and push herself to continue her promising career, and now, 'The Menace' is on the cusp of reaching her dream of becoming a ONE world champion.

Speaking to YouTube channel, The MMA Superfan, in a recent interview, Zamboanga talked about what went through her mind when she suffered an injury earlier this year and had to pull out of her world title match with Alyona Rassohyna.

'The Menace' said:

"You know, during the times I was injured, I was thinking ‘will I still be able to fight?’ It reached that point already of me thinking of calling it quits. Imagine, I was supposed to fight Stamp in 2024, then we had several venue changes. But I think there comes a time when you’re going to be frustrated and think 'is this really for me?'"

Now, Zamboanga is ready to seize the moment and chase her dreams in ONE Championship.

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Denice Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna battle for a piece of atomweight throne at ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video

No.2-ranked atomweight MMA contender 'The Menace' Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines is set to battle no.4-ranked Alyona Rassohyna of the Ukraine for the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world title.

The two lock horns in the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev on Prime Video, which broadcasts live in U.S. primetime on Friday, January 10, 2025, from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.