Denice Zamboanga wants ONE gold to prove why ‘women can also shine and dominate’ MMA in the Philippines

Denice Zamboanga is looking to realize her world title dreams in her scheduled match next month. Apart from becoming the champion, she also wants to become a ONE champion to elevate women fighters in the MMA scene in the Philippines.

'The Menace' will challenge for the ONE atomweight MMA world title at ONE 167 on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand, against reigning champion Stamp Fairtex.

Zamboanga, 27, views the upcoming title fight with so much significance, seeing how a win for her could open the door for young Filipino female fighters looking to make a career out of MMA.

She told ABS-CBN in an interview:

"Becoming the first Filipina world champion goes beyond me. I want to win this belt because I want to inspire the kids, especially the young ladies who want to pursue MMA."

She added:

"I want to show them that while boys have dominated the headlines, women can also shine and dominate this sport."

Heading into ONE 167, Denice Zamboanga won back-to-back matches, the most recent over Brazilian Julie Mezabarba by unanimous decision in April last year.

Stamp, for her part, will defend for the first time the vacant world title she claimed back in September by third-round TKO over South Korean Ham Seo Hee.

ONE 167: Stamp vs Zamboanga will emanate from the Impact Arena in Bangkok and will be available in U.S. primetime free of charge to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Denice Zamboanga knows Stamp has evolved as a fighter

Denice Zamaboanga is no stranger to Stamp Fairtex, as the two were former teammates at the Fairtex Traning Center in Thailand. She recognizes, however, that the Thai fighter has significantly evolved and is going to be a fomidable opponent in their title clash next month.

The Filipino martial artist will challenge ONE atomweight MMA world champion Stamp for her title at ONE 167 on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a fulfillment of a long-sought dream of vying for a world title since coming on board the promotion in 2019.

In an in-ring interview at ONE Fight Night 22 earlier this month, Zamboanga spoke about her upcoming match and of her former teammate, who she still has a good relationship with up to this day.

'The Menace' said:

"I know Stamp very well, ever since we trained together. But I know she improved a lot [for] her dream, and she's a champion for a reason."

Denice Zamboanga is currently the No. 2 contender in the ONE atomweight MMA division.