Denice Zamboanga will “do everything” to reach the top of the rankings

Denice Zamboanga has had a roller-coaster journey in the ONE women’s atomweight division, and she’s looking to go all the way up in her current ride.

The No.3-ranked atomweight claimed her second win in a row this past weekend as she defeated Julie Mezabarba via unanimous decision at ONE Fight Night 9. Her win was a follow-up to her mastery over Lin Heqin in December 2022.

Following her victory, Nic Atkin of the South China Morning Post caught up with ‘The Menace’ to ask what she intends to do to finally claim a world title shot. Denice Zamboanga responded by saying:

“I just need to improve my skills and I will do everything to be on the top of the rankings and get that world title shot. I can fight anyone.”

Catch the interview below:

The Filipina barged through the gates of ONE Championship by defeating the likes of Jihin Radzuan and Mei Yamaguchi in a three-fight win streak upon her arrival.

She was later named as the next challenger to Angela Lee’s ONE women’s atomweight world title. However, Lee would step away from competition to give birth, denying Zamboanga her chance at the gold.

At the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix, Denice Zamboanga fell to MMA veteran Ham Seo Hee in the first round, further pushing the 26-year-old away from her coveted world title shot.

As she now gains a little bit of momentum with back-to-back wins, Zamboanga is looking to continue her winning ways in order to get back in the hunt at ONE gold.

Angela Lee is still out indefinitely and the promotion is giving her all the time that she needs to recover from the devastating loss in their family. However, the division will keep moving as a potential interim belt is set to be introduced soon.

No.2-ranked Ham Seo Hee already secured her slot in the battle for the ONE interim atomweight world title, while No.1-ranked contender Stamp Fairtex will look to secure hers when she takes on Alyse Anderson at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5.

Denice Zamboanga will definitely have her eyes peeled for that matchup, as she will likely face any one of those women soon.

Fans in North America can catch all the action from the event live and for free via Prime Video with an active Amazon subscription.