“A role model for people” - Denice Zamboanga grateful for the opportunities being a world champion opened for her

Denice Zamboanga reflected on her increase in opportunities since becoming a world champion.

This past January, Zamboanga made her dreams come true by defeating Alyona Rassohyna by second-round TKO for the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world title.

'The Menace' was supposed to fight Stamp Fairtex to unify the division's top prize before the latter pulled out due to an injury. As a result, Stamp relinquished her title and made Zamboanga the division's undisputed champion.

While speaking to ONE, Zamboanga had this to say about the opportunities she's received since defeating Rassohyna earlier this year:

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“Aside from being a world champion, I’m most grateful that I was able to inspire and be a role model for people. Since winning the gold, I’ve had countless blessings in the form of sponsors and endorsements.”

Denice Zamboanga was initially supposed to fight Stamp Fairtex in 2024. The Thai megastar suffered a torn MCL while training, leaving her sidelined for the rest of the calendar year.

Zamboanga decided to stay active instead of waiting for Stamp, leading to wins against Noelle Grandjean and Alyona Rassohyna.

Watch Zamboanga finish Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27 below:

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Denice Zamboanga is focused on avoiding injuries ahead of first title defense

Stamp Fairtex's return timeline after her recent injury setback is unclear. Therefore, Denice Zamboanga and the rest of the division must temporarily move forward.

During an interview with Nick Atkin, Zamboanga had this to say about her training plans while waiting to defend her title:

"But after the announcement, I have to do light training again because if I do hard training and then start my camp, I might face injury again. So I'm very very careful about my training. I have to train smart so I can avoid some injuries."

Denice Zamboanga will likely be matched up against No.2-ranked Ayaka Miura or No.3-ranked Ham Seo Hee.

Miura is coming off four consecutive wins, including three by submission. She last fought in February, defeating Ritu Phogat in the first round.

Meanwhile, Ham is coming off a loss against Stamp Fairtex in September 2023. With that said, 'Hamzzang' holds two wins against Zamboanga.

Watch Zamboanga's interview with Atkin below:

About the author

Jake Foley is a journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in covering all forms of combat sports, including MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. His passion is ignited by the exceptional fusion of physical and mental skills demanded by world-class fighters in these sports. Jake is captivated by the intricate mix of fierce determination and a modest mindset exhibited by athletes in these disciplines. He also finds the atmosphere of major championships, like the epic clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, truly unparalleled.

Jake has earned his UFC credentials to cover the major events for Sportskeeda and has conducted several interviews.

Jake supports various teams across several professional sports, including the Las Vegas Raiders, Inter Miami, Norwich City, Miami Marlins, and Las Vegas Golden Knights. The sports moment Jake will never forget is Jon Jones dismantling Vladimir Matyushenko.

Since joining the SportsKeeda team, Jake has written 400 articles covering several MMA promotions, including the UFC and ONE Championship. He continues to work hard to maintain his journalistic integrity and tell the stories of fighters worldwide.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi