Denice Zamboanga on upcoming world title defense against Ayaka Miura in Japan: "I'm honored to defend this belt"

Denice Zamboanga is relishing the opportunity to defend her ONE women's atomweight MMA world title on Japanese soil when she faces Ayaka Miura at ONE 173 in Tokyo.

The 28-year-old divisional queen, the Philippines' first female MMA world champion, will put her 26 pounds of gold on the line against the second-ranked contender on Sunday, Nov. 16, inside Tokyo's Ariake Arena.

"Thank you to ONE Championship for this opportunity. I believe God's timing is always perfect, and I'm honored to defend this belt against Ayaka Miura in Japan," Denice Zamboanga told ONE Championship shortly after the bout was confirmed yesterday.

The defending champion's gracious response demonstrates her respect for both the promotion and her challenger, who has earned her shot through an impressive five-fight winning streak in Muay Thai competition.

Miura's shot at Zamboanga's gold has been a long time coming, after all.

The Tribe Tokyo MMA product built a solid four-fight winning streak that positioned her as a favorite to challenge the newly crowned divisional queen. At ONE Friday Fights 116 on July 18, Miura picked up a fifth straight win against Juliana Otalora via first-round submission to finally earn her ticket.

Though there is momentum on her side, the Japanese ground game wizard will be up against a tough test when she meets the T-Rex Mixed Martial Arts representative.

Zamboanga has rattled past her four opponents, Lin Heqin, Julie Mezabarba, Noelle Grandjean, and Alyona Rassohyna, with ease, and no woman in the atomweight MMA division seems to be able to stop her in her tracks now.

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Ayaka Miura pumped for Denice Zamboanga world title war

Like Denice Zamboanga, Ayaka Miura is fired up for their impending world title war at ONE 173 in Tokyo, Japan.

"Thank you very much for this special chance. Of course, in Japan, I have lost one time. So I didn't get the belt. So next time it will be my chance to get the belt. I hope I get this same appreciation from all these fans the next time," she told Achilleus Ralli during her post-fight speech at ONE Friday Fights 116.

Head over to watch.onefc.com for more information on how to watch ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri. More fights will be added to the show.