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ONE atomweight MMA world champion Denice Zamboanga was flabbergasted by the unexpected support from her fellow Filipinos when she returned to the country after securing the 26-pound golden belt last January.
Zamboanga scored an incredible second-round TKO finish of Alyona Rassohyna to capture the ONE interim championship, and she narrated to season journalist Nick Atkin that there was a grand homecoming for her. She said:
"Actually, I didn't expect those reactions and support from the Filipinos, but yeah, I'm also grateful and blessed that they really supported me when I won the championship."
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Check out Denice Zamboanga's interview below:
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'The Menace' was supposed to fight Stamp Fairtex, a former teammate and good friend of Zamboanga, in a unification battle later this year, but it was all scrapped because the Thai superstar suffered a new injury that would keep her out of action for an extended period.
This forced Stamp to relinquish the world title and prompted the world's largest martial arts organization to make Zamboanga the undisputed queen of the weight class.
Denice Zamboanga proclaims that Stamp Fairtex will get past this latest injury setback
During the same interview with Nick Atkin, Denice Zamboanga declared that Stamp will return stronger than ever from her latest injury setback because she knows how mentally and emotionally strong she is.
The T-Rex Martial Arts-affiliated athlete also showed her sympathy and said that she doesn't have the same mental fortitude as Stamp.
"I am so worried about the situation of Stamp because if I were in her situation, maybe I would think like, 'Oh, maybe I'll just want to quit MMA.' But she's the strongest girl I've ever known when it comes to her (emotional and mental strength), she's very strong. I'm sure she'll be back stronger."
