Denice Zamboanga thanks closest family and teammates for support through ‘all the tears’ in world title run

Newly crowned ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world champion 'The Menace' Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines made history and became the first Filipina MMA world champion ever in a major organization.

Zamboanga took home a second-round technical knockout victory over no.4-ranked Alyona Rassohyna of Ukraine at ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video last weekend, as well as the coveted interim gold.

Speaking to Bangkok Post in a recent post-fight interview, Zamboanga thanked her closest friends and family for helping her achieve this major career milestone.

'The Menace' said:

"A lot of Filipinos, especially my family, supporters, my teammates, my coaches, everyone - they know all the struggles and hard work, all the tears that I’ve been through during trainings."

With the win, Zamboanga has set up a highly anticipated ONE women's atomweight MMA world title unification bout with former training partner and reigning divisional queen Stamp Fairtex, which is expected for sometime later in 2025.

ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abullaev on Prime Video was broadcast live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, last Saturday, January 11. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Denice Zamboanga still can't believe she's a ONE world champion: "I'm very speechless"

'The Menace' Denice Zamboanga has dreamed about the day she would become a ONE world champion, but now that the day has come, the 28-year-old still can't believe what she has done.

She told the media:

"I'm very speechless. Until now, I couldn't get over that I took the belt, that I'm the champion. It’s still sinking in my head right now."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Denice Zamboanga's next fight.