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ONE interim atomweight MMA world champion, Denice Zamboanga, credits her older brother for getting her started in her martial arts journey, which led to a successful career.
In an interview in the She Speaks segment of Atleta Filipina, which dropped on YouTube earlier this month, 'The Menace' recounted how it all began for her. She lauded her brother Drex Zamboanga, who has had a huge influence on her career trajectory.
Denice Zamboanga said:
"I started when I was 17. My brother influenced me to train in karate. I would go with him every Saturday to train with the boys and sometimes with girls as well."
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Check out Denice Zamboanga's comments below (2:20):
While Zamboanga's journey started in karate, it was in MMA later on where she found her true calling. She has 14 matches under her belt as a professional fighter, boasting an impressive record of 12-2.
Seven of her victories came in ONE Championship, with the most recent in January her biggest to date as she claimed the interim atomweight MMA world title. The win saw her make history, becoming the first Filipino female fighter to become a ONE MMA world champion.
Denice Zamboanga seeks to become undisputed atomweight MMA queen at ONE 173
Denice Zamboanga seeks to take her MMA journey to an even higher plane by becoming the undisputed queen of the atomweight division in a unification bout against reigning world champion Stamp Fairtex later this year.
The Filipino fighter is slated to challenge the Thai superstar at ONE 173 on Aug. 1 in Denver, Colorado. It is one of the matches already confirmed for the marquee event, which will mark the return of ONE Championship to the United States for the third year in a row.
The match will also see Stamp defend her world title for the first time since becoming atomweight MMA world champion in September 2023. She is also coming off a knee injury she suffered in training last year.
Both fighters are good friends and former training partners, but they vowed to bring it on fight night to give fans a great match to enjoy.
For more details on ONE 173: Denver, check out onefc.com.
