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Denice Zamboanga made the decision to stay active once it was announced that her opponent for ONE 167 would not be able to compete. The Filipino athlete and No. 2-ranked atomweight MMA contender is all for showcasing her skills and putting all of her training to good use, but only if it makes sense for her.
Zamboanga was previously set to headline the stacked card on June 7 as she challenged for the ONE atomweight MMA world championship against divisional queen Stamp Fairtex. This was until Stamp was forced to withdraw from a fight due to a meniscus tear to her left knee a couple of weeks back.
Alongside missing out on the opportunity to close the show at ONE 167, it appears unlikely that the Thai superstar will be able to make the turnaround to fight in the main event of ONE 168: Denver.
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The atomweight MMA world champion was scheduled to move up a weight class to challenge Xiong Jing Nan for the strawweight crown.
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While Denice Zamboanga is choosing to not wait for her previously planned opponent to return, she also told the South China Morning Post that she isn't interested in taking the atomweight champ's spot at the Ball Arena card on September 6:
"The size is too different. I think she's too big for me. If it's atomweight I could accept, but in her division, I don't think so."
Watch the full interview below:
Denice Zamboanga has a new challenge to conquer
Rather than thinking about when Stamp may return, Denice Zamboanga has turned her attention to an entirely different task. She is set to stay on the card at ONE 167 and face replacement opponent Noelle Grandjean.
The ranked atomweight MMA contender is out to solidify her spot in the division and showcase her skills once again after putting in so much hard work to prepare for her title shot.
Zamboanga isn't going to start taking days off despite the biggest fight of her career being pushed back.
ONE 167 will air live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7. North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire card live in U.S. primetime for free.
