Denice Zamboanga: "Fair and looks for challenges" - Fan excitement builds up as Denice Zamboanga names Ayaka Miura as potential title contender

Undisputed ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Denice Zamboanga has surveyed the lay of the land, and she named Japanese grappler Ayaka Miura as a potential challenger for the crown. In an Instagram post by the world's largest martial arts promotion, the first-ever Filipina MMA world champion cited Miura's activity and four-fight winning streak as reasons for why she deserves to be the first challenger.

Check out the post below:

Fans reacted to her choice in the comments section, writing:

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"This is how an honest champion talks, she is fair and looks for challenges, the others will also get their shot I think."

"That's gonna be so awesome let's go Denice 👊🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭"

"Yes. Book it for July or August in Manila. It will sell out."

"Lezgo! Please sign the contract and have it scheduled.🔥🔥"

However, one fan also put forth an intriguing idea:

"Ayaka Miura vs. Seo Hee Ham winner gets title 🔥👊👍 @ayaka_zombie @ham.zzang"

Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]

Previously the ONE interim women's atomweight MMA world champion, Zamboanga was recently elevated to undisputed status after the then-reigning queen Stamp Fairtex relinquished the crown due to injury ahead of their unification bout, which was set for ONE 173: Denver in August.

Because this fight and others fell through, the event has been rescheduled to June 2026.

Denice Zamboanga already prepared to counter Ayaka Miura's signature submission technique

Ayaka Miura has submitted many of the top fighters in the division with her famed 'Ayaka Lock', though Denice Zamboanga is convinced she has the tools to counter the signature maneuver. 'The Menace' said in a recent interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin:

"I think I will do everything for her not to have the distance and do her favorite submission. Yeah, I will do everything to defend that belt."

Watch the entire interview below:

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Krishna Venki