ONE Fight Night 27 preview and predictions: Denice Zamboanga vs. Alyona Rassohyna

All hell will break lose when Denice Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna vie for the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 27.

Emanating live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, both women are fired up to the nines to add a feather to their caps and book a ticket to a unification showdown against divisional queen Stamp Fairtex.

The Filipina warrior can finally breathe a great sigh of relief after suffering multiple bumps in her quest to attain 26 pounds of gold. With less than two days out from fight night, all signs are looking positive for the No. 2-ranked contender.

Rassohyna, meanwhile, hopes to return to winning ways and kickstart another chapter on the global stage. The Ukrainian veteran has split between victory and defeat in her past two appearances, both coming against Stamp.

With a chance to secure a trilogy against the three-sport queen, Rassohyna will want to take advantage of this fight from the get-go to unsettle Denice Zamboanga.

Before they trade leather, Sportskeeda MMA's ONE Championship team shared their unbiased opinion on how this world title unification contest ends.

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Ted Razon: Denice Zamboanga by decision

With the interim atomweight MMA world title on the line, I expect Denice Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna to throw everything but the kitchen sink at each other.

The Ukrainian grappler will be most dangerous in the early goings, especially if she can get a quick takedown. The absence of sweat will be a big factor in her submission entries, and the Filipina must watch out for this and avoid going to the ground in the first two rounds.

Denice Zamboanga should dictate the battle with her pistol-like jab, gain her rhythm, and set the tone for her swift punch combinations. Her sprawls must also be on point. ‘The Menace’ must turn this into a striking battle, where she’ll have the advantage.

Rassohyna’s time away from the sport could cost her the longer this match goes. Zamboanga should tag her constantly on the feet and perhaps mix in her own takedowns once the fourth-ranked contender slows down.

Rassohyna is as tough as they come, which she proved in her two matches against Stamp. I see her reaching the final horn, but Denice Zamboanga would have done too much damage by then and become the Philippines’ first-ever female MMA world champion.

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James De Rozario: Denice Zamboanga by decision

This fight will be Denice Zamboanga's to lose. Still, there are necessary steps she'll need to take to guarantee a positive result.

First, the T-Rex Mixed Martial Arts Training Center affiliate must do her best to keep this fight on the feet.

Zamboanga has used her solid striking base to rack up some impressive wins under the ONE banner, and though she does want to mix things up a little bit, why change something so effective?

She will light up the Yarost Gym athlete at every chance, and while the latter will definitely resort to a couple of takedown attempts, I think Zamboanga will effortlessly find an exit door to continue her onslaught upstairs.

That said, Rassohyna has proved that she can trade on the feet. However, given Zamboanga's superiority in that department, I don't see it really driving the Filipina over the edge.

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Vince Richards: Denice Zamboanga by decision

This one is sure to reach the full five rounds.

Denice Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna are two of the most cerebral fighters in the division and both rely on their versatility to get the job done.

Rassohyna is the first fighter to ever beat and submit Stamp Fairtex in MMA, and she could employ the same grappling-heavy style against Zamboanga at ONE Fight Night 27.

Zamboanga, however, has no problems mixing it up on the ground and her refined grappling could be a problem for Rassohyna in their interim world title showdown.

I see this fight as a chess match with Zamboanga’s versatility ultimately paying off in the judges’ scorecards.

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Mike Murillo: Denice Zamboanga by decision

Long sought to have a world title shot, it is nice to see that Denice Zamboanga finally gets her opportunity for the interim atomweight gold. And good thing for her, she has a solid chance at getting it.

‘The Menace’ has been on a winning roll in her last three matches, making her fully prepared for her championship battle against Alyona Rassohyna, who has not been in competition since she last fought reigning atomweight queen Stamp Fairtex in 2021.

Adding further motivation to Zamboanga is the opportunity to make history as the first Filipino female fighter to become an MMA world champion.

Rassohyna should provide early resistance but being the more active fighter, Zamboanga should be able to handle that. The Filipino fighter will take control of the match for much of the time en route to a unanimous decision victory.

ONE Fight Night 27 will be available live in U.S. primetime for free to all active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America.