“So well deserved” - Strawweight kickboxing queen Jackie Buntan, fans, applaud Denice Zamboanga after interim world title win

Filipina fighter Denice Zamboanga realized her lifelong dream of becoming a world champion after she claimed the ONE interim atomweight MMA championship belt last week. Congratulatory messages soon followed, including one from strawweight kickboxing queen Jackie Buntan.

'The Menace' dominated her opponent, Alyona Rassohyna of Ukraine, in their battle for the interim belt at ONE Fight Night 27 on Jan. 10 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, winning by TKO in the second round.

Zamboanga flexed her well-rounded game against Rassohyna, presenting varying looks, which culminated in a ferocious ground-and-pound finish in the closing seconds of the second frame to add her name to the roster of ONE world champions.

She celebrated the victory by posting a photo of her with the interim belt on Instagram with her team. In the caption, she wrote:

"PHILIPPINES WE MADE IT! 🇵🇭 🏆"

Among the first ones to congratulate Zamboanga was ONE strawweight kickboxing queen and Filipino-American Buntan, who highlighted how well-deserved the win was. She wrote:

"👏 congratulations Denice, so well deserved! ❤️"04

Champion congratulates champion.

Another who gave props to the interim atomweight champion was former ONE athlete Rika Ishige, saying:

"Congratulations , You deserved it !!👏"

Deserving champion

Below are screenshots of what some fans wrote about Zamboanga and her win:

Historic win

Zamboanga is now looking to unify the atomweight belts next when reigning divisional queen Stamp Fairtex is fully healed from her knee injury.

Replay of ONE Fight Night 27 is available on demand to North American fans via Amazon Prime Video.

Denice Zamboanga shares she was more comfortable with her game heading into ONE Fight Night 27

Denice Zamboanga said a firmer grip on her game and what she is capable of did a lot for her in winning the interim ONE atomweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 27 on Jan. 10 in Thailand.

She shared this in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how she was comfortable across all facets of her game heading into the contest. It clearly showed in her second-round TKO victory over Alyona Rassohyna.

Zamboanga said:

"Now, for this fight, I'm more comfortable with my striking and also with my top game and also my grappling skills."

Denice Zamboanga made history with her win at ONE Fight Night 27, becoming the first-ever Filipina MMA world champion.