Denice Zamboanga showed the world why she deserves a shot at ONE Championship gold. Returning to the Circle at ONE 167 in June, 'The Menace' delivered a dominant three-round performance against Thai-French standout Noelle Grandjean.
Originally, Zamboanga was scheduled to challenge ONE atomweight MMA queen Stamp Fairtex at the event, but Stamp was forced to bow out of the bout after suffering a knee injury while training.
Instead of sitting on the sidelines waiting for Stamp to recover, Zamboanga agreed to face Grandjean, seeing it as another opportunity to prove her worth on martial arts' biggest global stage.
She did exactly that, essentially mopping the floor with 'Lil Monkey' for three rounds en route to a decisive decision victory.
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"Catch all the action from the atomweight MMA scrap between Filipina top contender Denice Zamboanga and Thai-French star Noelle Grandjean at ONE 167!"
The win moved Zamboanga to 6-2 under the ONE Championship banner and extended her current win streak to three. More importantly, it solidified her spot as the next woman in line for a shot at the atomweight MMA world title.
Denice Zamboanga meets Alyona Rassohyna for the interim ONE atomweight MMA world title
With Stamp Fairtex still recovering from a torn meniscus, ONE Championship will crown an interim atomweight MMA world champion when the promotion returns to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on Friday, Jan. 10.
On that night, Denice Zamboanga will square off with Ukrainian standout Alyona Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video.
It will be Rassohyna's first time competing since splitting back-to-back fights against Stamp Fairtex in 2021. Who leaves the Mecca of Muay Thai with 26 pounds of gold and a guaranteed date with Stamp in 2025?
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 27 live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Jan. 10 in U.S. primetime.