"She should capitalize on that" - Mark Sangiao says Denice Zamboanga must make the most of close friendship with Stamp

Mark Sangiao believes Denice Zamboanga's years of training alongside Stamp Fairtex can work in her favor when they clash for the ONE atomweight MMA world title in the main event of ONE 167 on June 7.

Though both female athletes will respectfully put their friendship aside to treat the watching world to a must-watch bout inside the Impact Arena, the Team Lakay head coach understands that no one knows the divisional queen better than the No.2-ranked challenger.

As such, the 45-year-old is confident that 'The Menace' is in a favorable spot to cut Stamp's reign atop the division short as she attempts to join Joshua Pacio as another fighter out of the Philippines to lay hands on ONE gold in 2024.

Speaking to ONE Sports, Sangiao offered:

"They were teammates before, and they know each other's weaknesses and strengths, and she should capitalize on that."

Stamp's all-around arsenal, particularly her work in the grappling department, has been the talk of the town ahead of this scheduled five-round war in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thus, on paper at least, it seems like Denice Zamboanga might have her hands full.

However, the T-Rex Mixed Martial Arts Center star is more than ready to showcase her development over the years since bidding farewell to the world-renowned Fairtex Training Center.

ONE 167 will emanate live from the Impact Arena in U.S. primetime on June 7.

Stamp and Denice Zamboanga's form heading into ONE 167

Denice Zamboanga booked her shot at Stamp's coveted 26 pounds of gold after securing back-to-back victories.

She worked her way back to the winner's column with a hard-earned split decision win over Chinese athlete Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022.

'The Menace' followed that up with a dominant showing against Julie Mezabarba of Brazil at ONE Fight Night 9 in April last year.

Meanwhile, Stamp has also been on a roll after falling short in her first world title bid at ONE X in March 2022 to then-divisional queen Angela Lee.

The Thai megastar locked in a unanimous decision win over Jihin Radzuan. Then, she finished Alyse Anderson with a body kick at ONE Fight Night 10 in May last year to book a shot for the vacant strap.

Stamp made the most of her golden opportunity as she finished Ham inside the third stanza to become the ONE atomweight MMA world champion and the promotion's first three-sport queen.