ONE Championship: “The strongest girl I've ever known” - Denice Zamboanga confident Stamp Fairtex will bounce back after suffering injury setback

Stamp Fairtex and Denice Zamboanga have gone through the grind together, training side by side, sharing meals, even bunking in the same room at one point. From scrappy upstarts to championship-caliber athletes, they climbed the ladder at nearly the same pace. Stamp reached the top first, capturing the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title. When injury pulled her from competition, Zamboanga stepped in and became interim champ in her absence.

Friends turned rivals. It was poetic. But the long-awaited showdown never came.

Stamp’s knee injury relapsed ahead of their anticipated unification match, forcing her to vacate the title, and Zamboanga was promoted to undisputed champion. As thrilled as she was, the moment came with a tinge of concern for her friend.

Speaking with Nick Atkin of ONE Championship, she said:

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

"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."

Watch the full interview below:

“Hope to share the Circle with her” - Denice Zamboanga wishes Stamp a speedy recovery after injury setback

Denice Zamboanga didn’t ask for the belt to come this way. But she’s choosing to see the moment as part of a bigger plan, and hopefully, it's one that she still leads back to Stamp.

"By God’s grace, I am now the undisputed ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Champion. This may not have happened the way I expected, but I believe everything unfolds in God’s perfect timing. I continue to pray for Stamp’s healing and hope to share the Circle with her again soon."

Follow ONE Championship on social media for the latest news and updates.

About the author

Charlene is a MMA writer with 5 years of experience writing content in various formats. She inadvertently fell into the rabbit hole of MMA after she (begrudgingly) joined her friend for a class and ended up enjoying it far beyond her expectations. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and once dreamed of becoming a sports doctor before she found her true calling in writing.

She has ghostwritten for various health, fitness, and martial arts businesses. Despite the busyness of her day-to-day, she occasionally finds the time to practice Boxing and Muay Thai at home with her coach/husband and their many cats as their rapt audience.

She has organized a few local MMA events and aspires to establish her own little gym someday.

Outside of work, Charlene enjoys books, video games, and anime.

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by C. Naik