Joshua Pacio thrilled for Denice Zamboanga’s historic world title feat: “It was a long time coming”

Undisputed ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua 'The Passion' Pacio of the Philippines was over the moon after witnessing Denice Zamboanga fulfill her destiny.

'The Menace' captured the interim ONE atomweight MMA world title last January following a stellar TKO victory over Alyonna Rassohyna to become the country's first-ever female MMA world champion.

Zamboanga later shed her interim tag and was elevated to undisputed status after former champ Stamp Fairtex relinquished the crown due to injury.

For Joshua Pacio, seeing Zamboanga realize her lifelong dream, especially after the struggles she had earlier in her career, was extremely gratifying.

The Lions Nation MMA star told ONE Championship:

"I was really happy when she got promoted to undisputed World Champion because it was a long time coming. God’s timing is always perfect. She’s a World Champion now, a female World Champion at that."

Moreover, Pacio is also extremely proud of his compatriot for breaking barriers in the Philippines' MMA scene. He added:

"Guys aren’t the only ones capable of it, of course. Female Filipino fighters can also win gold in ONE Championship."

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Joshua Pacio hopes Denice Zamboanga's ascent will motivate more women in MMA

Joshua Pacio knows the Philippines is a hotbed for MMA talent, and there are a lot of hidden gems just waiting to get opportunities.

With Denice Zamboanga leading the charge, 'The Passion' hopes more female Filipino fighters will follow suit and achieve success on the global stage.

The strawweight MMA king told ONE:

"Honestly, that’s what we lack here in the Philippines. We don’t have a lot of female fighters. So, I’m really happy because there’s now a female MMA World Champion in ONE Championship. It’s a big motivation to other female athletes who are looking to capture a ONE World Title."

Joshua Pacio and Denice Zamboanga each have world title bouts lined up at ONE 173: Superbon vs Noiri on Nov. 16 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

'The Passion' will look to become a two-division world champion against flyweight MMA kingpin Yuya Wakamatsu. Zamboanga, meanwhile, will defend her belt for the first time against Ayaka Miura.