Denice Zamboanga says her “hunger to get that belt” would be too much for Alyona Rassohyna to overcome at ONE Fight Night 27

Denice Zamboanga is hellbent on claiming her first piece of ONE Championship gold, and she'll stop at nothing to complete that mission.

The Filipino star will face off against Alyona Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27 on Jan. 10, 2025, at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

In an interview with the MMA Superfan, Zamboanga said all her missed chances at gold only fueled her drive to beat Rassohyna in Bangkok for the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world title.

Denice Zamboanga said:

"For me, my hunger to get that belt. You know the feeling of 'Finally, I’m already here. No one can take that from me, and no other person can hold that belt.' That’s what I always keep in my mind."

Zamboanga was slated for a shot at gold on two occasions, but both matches fell through due to injuries.

She was initially scheduled to challenge her close friend and former training partner Stamp Fairtex at ONE 167, but the ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion suffered a torn meniscus during training camp.

Zamboanga was then set to face Rassohyna for the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 25, but that match was also postponed after 'The Menace' suffered a hamstring injury.

Nevertheless, Zamboanga is fully healed and ready to take on Rassohyna in Bangkok.

ONE Fight Night 27 is ONE Championship's first Amazon card of the year and is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Denice Zamboanga wants to represent the women of Philippine MMA at ONE Fight Night 27

The Philippines is one of the most successful countries in ONE Championship, with seven fighters of Filipino descent holding a world title at one point or another.

Brandon Vera, Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon, Geje Eustaquio, and Joshua Pacio all held MMA gold in ONE Championship, while Filipino-American star Jackie Buntan is the inaugural ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion.

There is, however, a lack of female MMA world champions from the Philippines, and Denice Zamboanga wants to be the first to hold that distinction.

She said in the same interview with the MMA Superfan:

"The pressure is there. It will never go away. Whether I’m in the Philippines, going to a different gym here, or be it in Thailand, that’s what they all tell me - 'Philippines doesn’t have an MMA champion.' They know the history, that there hasn’t been a Filipina MMA world champion."

Watch Zamboanga's entire interview below: