Denice Zamboanga ONE 173: FREE FULL FIGHT: Filipino star Denice Zamboanga flaunts suffocating grappling in dominant showing against Noelle Grandjean

ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world champion Denice Zamboanga's striking is among the best within the division. However, she proved that her ground game is not one to scoff at after facing renowned judoka Noelle Grandjean in June 2024.

When it was announced that Grandjean would be stepping in on short notice for the injured ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex, many wondered whether the Filipina could withstand the multi-disciplined athlete's grappling.

Midway through the first round, Zamboanga turned Grandjean's headlock takedown into a back take. She kept control of the action on the ground and even attempted a rear-naked choke in the dying seconds. Grandjean surprisingly chose to keep the fight standing until the final bell rang, which worked perfectly in Zamboanga's favor. 'The Menace' won via unanimous decision.

Rewatch their high-octane three-round battle below, which ONE shared on YouTube:

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Despite missing out on challenging her good friend for 26 pounds of women's atomweight MMA gold, this outing allowed Zamboanga to fight for the interim crown this past January.

For the first time since August 2020, Zamboanga logged a finish by stopping Alyona Rassohyna in round two with a ground-and-pound barrage.

Denice Zamboanga is all business ahead of ONE 173 showdown with Stamp

The undisputed ONE women's atomweight MMA world championship will be up for grabs between Denice Zamboanga and Stamp in a unification bout at ONE 173: Denver on Aug. 1, and the former is prepared to put aside their friendship for the crown.

In an exclusive interview with Tempo, the T-Rex MMA Training Center affiliate talked about what lies ahead of her inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado:

"Our journey from training partners to competitors adds a profound depth to this upcoming fight. Outside the circle, Stamp is a cherished friend, but come fight night, I'm prepared to showcase the evolution of 'The Menace'."

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard