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Denice Zamboanga is confident the Philippines has the potential to produce more world champions in the coming years.
The Philippines has always been a hub for martial arts greatness, and the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world champion believes there'll be more Filipino fighters capable of holding ONE Championship gold.
In an interview with Atleta Filipina, Zamboanga said Filipinos have an innate power that can easily translate to whatever combat sport discipline they compete in.
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Denice Zamboanga said:
"I would say there are a lot of Filipinos who have the potential to be world champions one day. I think for Filipinas, it’s natural for us to be strong."
Zamboanga is one of eight Filipino fighters to have captured ONE Championship gold, and the first female Filipino to hold an MMA world title in the promotion.
Brandon Vera, Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon, and Geje Eustaquio have had separate MMA world title reigns in ONE Championship.
Joshua Pacio is the current ONE strawweight MMA world champion, while Jackie Buntan is the inaugural and reigning ONE women's strawweight kickboxing world champion.
As for Zamboanga, she captured the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world title when she stopped in the second round of their ONE Fight Night 27 matchup in January.
Zamboanga now embarks for the biggest fight of her career when she takes on close friend and former training partner Stamp Fairtex in a unification match for the undisputed ONE women's atomweight MMA world title at ONE 173: Denver on Aug. 1 at Ball Arena.
Denice Zamboanga says her friends never expected her to become an MMA fighter
Denice Zamboanga may now embody Filipino power, but her friends and classmates never expected she would be in the MMA business.
In the same interview with Atleta Filipina, Zamboanga said she had a vastly different personality when she was still in college in the Philippines:
"My college classmates are really surprised to see where I am now because I was very quiet when I was in school. They didn’t know why I would be a fighter now, when back then I didn’t even talk much on the campus. This sport doesn’t choose who will pursue it. Anyone can do it."
Watch Zamboanga's entire interview below:
