“Supposed to fight against the champ” - Denice Zamboanga says ONE Championship did the right thing to put her in interim world title bout

Second-ranked ONE Championship women's atomweight MMA contender 'The Menace' Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines is grateful to the organization for making good on their promise to bless her with a world title opportunity, even if it has fallen through on numerous occasions.

Zamboanga was initially in line for a crack at the coveted gold as long ago as February 2020, when she defeated Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi in just her second fight in the world's largest martial arts organization.

Speaking to YouTube channel, The MMA Superfan, in a recent interview, Zamboanga gave praise to ONE Championship for making this world title fight happen.

'The Menace' said:

"I was in line to face Stamp [Fairtex]. I was supposed to fight against the champ. What ONE did fairly was to change the champion’s spot. I was supposed to fight [Chihiro] Sawada, but she refused. And then, Alyona [Rassohyna] stepped up."

Zamboanga will compete for a portion of the atomweight MMA throne when she steps inside the ONE Championship ring early next year. It will be her first official attempt to win the gold.

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Denice Zamboanga set to battle Alyona Rassohyna for interim atomweight belt at ONE Fight Night 27 on Prime Video

Filipina star 'The Menace' Denice Zamboanga is set to square off with no.4-ranked ONE Championship women's atomweight MMA contender Alyona Rassohyna of Ukraine for the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world title.

The two lock horns in the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev on Prime Video, which broadcasts live in U.S. primetime on Friday, January 10, 2025, from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.