“There may be challenges or delays” - First Filipina MMA champ Denice Zamboanga reminds everyone not to give up on their dreams 

People see the gold, not the grind. It's easy to celebrate a champion once the belt's around their waist. But the struggle, the rough climb to get to that point, is not always visible. Denice Zamboanga knows that better than most.

After years of waiting, setbacks, and near misses, she finally became the first Filipina to claim a ONE Championship MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 27 just this January. It was the first knockout of her five-year professional fighting career.

And now, standing at the top, Zamboanga wants to empower other Filipinas to follow in her footsteps. In an interview with Atleta Filipina, she said:

"I just want to inspire young women out there to keep on believing and trust the big plan of the Lord. We all know that the Lord has plans for us. There may be challenges or delays, and though our breakthrough hasn’t come yet, just trust in Him".

Check out the full interview below:

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"These delays would help me improve" - Denice Zamboanga finds silver lining in long journey to attain ONE Championship gold

The road was rough and full of setbacks, but Denice Zamboanga kept her head down, took the hard fights, and kept grinding. Speaking to Atleta Filipina, she said:

"Since 2020, I've always been waiting for my shot at the belt. So since then, I've always been disappointed for not getting my shot at the gold. But I just used them as motivation. I told myself that these delays would help me improve my skills and be stronger."

And when finally, the opportunity came, she fought like someone who had been preparing for it for years - because she had.

Now, with the interim gold around her waist, the next step forward is to unify the ONE atomweight MMA world title against reigning champ Stamp Fairtex at ONE 173 in August. Visit watch.onefc.com for more details.