Denice Zamboanga laments fighting Stamp Fairtex, says it's not personal

Denice Zamboanga lamented calling out her friend and former teammate Stamp Fairtex for a duel for the No.1 spot in the rankings following her victory at ONE on Prime Video 5.

Zamboanga returned to the winning column last Friday after suffering two straight losses against Ham Seo Hee in September 2021 and the second time at ONE: X in March. After a back-and-forth battle with Lin Heqin, Zamboanga crossed the finish line ahead of her Chinese rival with a close split decision.

In the post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson, the Filipino native was quick to call out the No.1 atomweight contender, Stamp Fairtex, which immediately caught the attention of the Filipino crowd. She expressed her decision to ONE Championship, who followed up with her recently, but at the same time, 'The Menace' argued it was the right move to make:

“Yes, it’s very difficult to call out a friend, of course. With Stamp, I love her, but this is business. It’s all about business, it’s nothing personal.”

At ONE on Prime Video 5, Denice Zamboanga proved that she’s not just a wrestler. She put her hands to work against Lin and delivered a powerful performance as she attacked the Chinese striker from all angles. She brought a lot of substance and variety to her game which probably stumped her rival as she ate Zamboanga’s combinations in the circle.

Arguably, it may not have been Zamboanga’s best performance, but she needed this win to get one step closer to a world title shot against Angela Lee.

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Stamp Fairtex wants Denice Zamboanga to redeem herself against a former foe before challenging her

Stamp Fairtex recently responded to Denice Zamboanga’s callout on Instagram with a snappy remark.

Stamp and Zamboanga have a long history together. According to ONE, they became close friends while training together at the Fairtex Training Center in Thailand. While Zamboanga maintains that they’re still friends, it looks like Stamp may have added a bit more tension to the relationship.

Confused by her friend’s callout, Stamp was a bit passive-aggressive when she responded on her Instagram page:

“Please tell her to beat Ham Seo Hee first. She lost to her twice. Beat her first, and then let’s talk.”