"There was a lot of planning involved" - Denice Zamboanga admits she had to switch things up to prep for Noelle Grandjean

Denice Zamboanga looked dominant throughout her three-round clash against Noelle Grandjean at ONE 167, and it was all down to the right tactics that helped her pick up a third consecutive win under the ONE Championship banner.

Originally slated to face Stamp Fairtex in the main event of the stacked card, 'The Menace' went up against the French-Thai upstart who stepped into the bout on short notice.

Despite being a late replacement for the reigning ONE atomweight MMA world champion, the Team Grandjean and Tiger Muay Thai affiliate put on a brilliant display of courage and strength for fifteen minutes.

Unfortunately, the Judoka fell short on the judges' scorecard as Denice Zamboanga seemed to have a better strategy in place, one that helped her stay one step ahead throughout their Impact Arena matchup last Friday, June 7.

Speaking on her win and the changes she implemented, the T-Rex Mixed Martial Arts Training Center affiliate told the South China Morning Post:

"We changed a lot of game plan because I was supposed to fight a lot of striking. But suddenly, I ended up fighting a judo black belt. So there was a lot of planning involved in this fight."

The victory inside the Thai capital city last week improved Denice Zamboanga's promotional resume to 6-2. Her only pair of losses came to top-ranked divisional contender Ham Seo Hee.

Watch the full interview here:

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Denice Zamboanga's win should solidify her status as the next in line

For years, 'The Menace' has narrowly missed out on a world title opportunity for various reasons.

However, after making it three back-to-back wins with her triumph over Grandjean, there's no denying that she does deserve a chance to tango for five rounds with ONE gold on the line.

There has been no date set for Stamp's return. But when the Fairtex Training Center megastar does return, expect her to be up against her close pal in a pulsating battle between two of the finest atomweight MMA talents on the promotion's roster.

North American fans with an active subscription can relive the entire ONE 167 card for free on Amazon Prime Video.