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With wins piling up and prodigies stealing the spotlight, it's easy to forget that for most fighters, the road is rough and full of setbacks. Denice Zamboanga has had her fair share of injuries, delays, and near misses that could've easily derailed her rise.
But she never lost faith.
Zamboanga has always been vocal about her belief that things happen for a reason. Even when her path towards a world title kept getting pushed further and further out of reach, she leaned on something bigger than herself to keep going.
In an interview with Beatrice of Atleta Filipina, she spoke about how her struggles strengthened her faith:
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"I would say that the Lord gave me more faith in Him. I believe the Lord challenged my faith in Him. It came to a point when I would ask, 'Lord, is this championship really for me?' But He strengthened my faith by showing me. He had better plans for me."
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Now, after years of perseverance, she holds the interim ONE atomweight MMA world title - and a long-awaited unification fight against her close friend and former training partner, Stamp Fairtex, is finally set for ONE 173: Denver this August.
Denice Zamboanga on hardships training in Thailand: “I always kept in my mind that this is for my family”
The road to the belt was built on blood, tears, and sacrifice. Pushing through mental fatigue and homesickness, day after day of new struggles - it wasn't glamorous, but Denice Zamboanga never let the grind shake her sense of purpose.
"Every time I trained, I always kept in my mind that this is for my family, this is for my dream, and also for God," she said. "I always have faith that the Lord has plans for me, for all of the sacrifices I made in my life."
Denice Zamboanga is the first Filipina to become an MMA world champion. And now, she's showing that every step forward is an opportunity to show others that the long, hard road is still worth taking.
ONE 173: Denver takes place on August 2 in the Ball Arena. Visit watch.onefc.com for more details.
