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Denice Zamboanga would rather defend her ONE atomweight MMA world championship than wait for Stamp Fairtex to heal up.
Originally, Zamboanga was set to fight Stamp this summer after becoming the atomweight division's interim MMA champion via a stunning second-round TKO victory over Alyona Rassohyna at ONE 170.
Unfortunately, that is no longer the case after Stamp was forced to delay her highly anticipated return due to complications with recovering from a torn meniscus last year.
As a result, Stamp relinquished her ONE atomweight MMA world title, and Zamboanga was promoted to undisputed champion.
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ONE Championship hopes to rebook their fight sometime in 2026—potentially at ONE's return to Denver in June of that year—but during a recent interview with Nick Atkin, 'The Menace' made it clear that she hopes to defend her 26 pounds of gold long before then.
On being asked who she plans to fight, if anyone, before Stamp is cleared to return, Zamboanga said:
"I'm not sure. It all depends on ONE Championship, but hopefully, I can defend the belt this year so I can still stay active because we can fight Stamp whenever she's ready."
Denice Zamboanga has her sights set on a scrap with surging atomweight contender Ayaka Miura
One name that has been on Denice Zamboanga's mind lately is Ayaka Miura.
Spaking of Miura, Zamboanga said:
"Since she's very active, I think that's one of her advantages," Zamboanga said of Miura. "For me, it's a challenge because we are both good at grappling, but at the same time, she knows how to handle a fighter like me, so I think it will be a big challenge for me."
'Zombie' currently sits as the second-ranked contender in the atomweight MMA division.
Along the way, she's earned four straight wins, including submission victories over Meng Bo, Macarena Aragon, and Ritu Phogat—all of them coming in the very first round.
With eight wins in the division and an 88% finish rate, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the division more deserving than Ayaka Miura.
