"I was scared at first" - Denice Zamboanga revisits Julie Mezabarba win that booked her a shot at ONE gold

Despite the history and friendship that she has with her upcoming opponent, Denice Zamboanga was left with no option but to face her. The Filipino contender and No. 2-ranked challenger has produced back-to-back wins to bounce back from consecutive defeats in the atomweight MMA division.

This means that whether she wanted to or not, this would put her in pole position to challenge for the ONE atomweight MMA world championship. It just so happens that the belt is currently held by her former training partner Stamp Fairtex, who has been a great companion over the years.

Before the Thai superstar won the world championship, Denice Zamboanga put her name in the mix with a great showing against Julie Mezabarba back at ONE Fight Night 9.

Her performance on that night, which she reflected on in a recent interview with Calf Kick Sports, set her up to challenge for the belt. She said:

"I'm so happy [with my win against Julie Mezabarba] because she's so big, she's so buff. I was scared at first because I think she can overpower me. But yeah, pleased to get that win. I just wasn't bothered by it."

Watch the full interview below:

Denice Zamboanga proved something to herself in that fight

Denice Zamboanga may have been more cautious and anxious heading into that fight back in April of last year but it did prove something as well. Once she had settled into the fight and her confidence started to grow, Zamboanga started to flow and she found her momentum.

Finding this groove will be crucial against a world-class striker like Stamp, who will surely possess a bigger threat on the feet than Mezabarba did.

After her last fight came at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium over a year ago, the challenger will now make the walk in the main event of what is set to be an unmissable night of action.

ONE 167 will air live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.