Denice Zamboanga will finally get her shot at ONE Championship gold on Friday, Jan. 10, at ONE Fight Night 27. However it won’t be the for the ultimate prize just yet.
The #2-ranked women’s atomweight contender will meet #4-ranked Alyona Rassohyna for the interim divisional crown at the world’s largest martial arts organization’s first show of 2024, with the winner set to lock in a unification bout with atomweight MMA queen Stamp Fairtex later in the year.
With both opponents on her mind, Zamboanga has been studying their September 2021 battle in order to assess their respective strengths and weaknesses.
“In their fight, it was the first time I saw Stamp really struggle. I don’t think, before that, there was a fighter who really made it difficult for Stamp. It was only Alyona,” Zamboanga detailed to ONE.
“I saw how well-rounded she is. She’s so unpredictable. There were a lot of unexpected moves, and that’s her strength.”
Having watched Rassohyna’s matchups in ONE, “The Menace” has recognized places to focus on where she may be vulnerable.
She plans to make the Ukrainian star her earn every shot, leaving no one in doubt of the winner in the end.
“I want to test her grappling. I haven’t seen her face a pure grappler or wrestler, as she’s faced strikers. That’s why she always dominates the ground game. She hasn’t faced someone like me. I want to prove that I’m better than her on the ground,” Zamboanga stated.
“My wrestling and BJJ have always been improving. I have a team in jiu-jitsu that truly focuses on me, they’re really analyzing my moves, my strengths and weaknesses to really improve my ground game.”
Zamboanga is confident she can attack how she pleases due to her evolution as a complete martial artist.
The Filipina has worked tirelessly to improve across the board and make herself dangerous no matter where the action takes place.
“Being a well-rounded fighter is truly important in MMA. You can’t just focus on one thing. That’s why I’m so confident coming into every fight. I’m confident that I’ll get to finish her wherever it goes whether it be on the feet or on the ground,” she said.
The title tilt will also serve as a pre-birthday present for Zamboanga, and she hopes to gift herself a little gold before celebrating with friends and family.
“It’s going to be a big deal for me if I start the year with a win. I’m also gonna be celebrating my birthday this January as well, so I truly want to celebrate my birthday with a World Title,” she said.
ONE Fight Night 27 is the moment “The Menace” has been waiting for since arriving in ONE in 2019.
After sacrificing time with friends and family over the holidays, she is hoping all the hard work pays off with a shower of confetti inside Lumpinee Stadium this weekend.
“Of course, we all know that because of my training camp, I had to miss the holiday festivities, from Christmas to New Year’s celebrations. I can’t eat that much, so of course I want to start the year by celebrating. This year, I wish to start stronger,” Zamboanga said.
“Maybe I’ll just vent my frustration on not being able to eat a lot and celebrate during the holidays with her.”
ONE Fight Night 27 airs live and free at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on Prime Video on Friday, Jan. 10.