Denice Zamboanga looking to climb the atomweight rankings

Denice Zamboanga wants to get back to the top of the women’s atomweight rankings in ONE Championship, and she believes a win in her next match puts her on that track.

The Filipino star will face Brazilian fighter Julie Mezabarba in a pivotal match at ONE Fight Night 9 this Friday, US primetime, at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

Zamboanga, the No.3-ranked women’s atomweight contender, knows that a win over Mezabarba will give her the perfect momentum in her hunt to get to the top of the division.

In an interview with The South China Morning Post, Denice Zamboanga said:

“For me, I’m not rushing to fight anyone. I can fight anyone or any other ranked or unranked opponent. I’m not rushing because I want to improve some of my skills. But hopefully, if I improve already, I can fight more ranked opponents.”

‘The Menace’ is coming off a split decision win over China’s Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 5 in her backyard in Manila, Philippines, and wants nothing more than to string together a series of wins.

The women’s atomweight division, however, is stacked with absolute beasts at the top with Stamp Fairtex and Ham Seo Hee occupying the No.1 and No.2 spots, respectively.

Julie Mezabarba, meanwhile, is yet to break into the top five but she remains one of the most dangerous fighters in the weight class.

The 30-year-old from Rio de Janeiro has nine wins in her professional career, including an impressive unanimous decision victory over Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi back in 2021.

ONE Fight Night 9 is ONE Championship’s fourth Amazon card of the year and will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video in North America.

Catch Zamboanga's entire interview below: