ONE Championship: "They motivate me more" - Denice Zamboanga draws strength from Filipino support as nation's first female MMA world champ

Newly minted undisputed ONE atomweight MMA world champion Denice Zamboanga doesn't lack the backing of Filipino fans, especially now that she has become the first-ever female MMA fighter to win a title.

In her recent interview with ONE Championship, 'The Menace' revealed the unwavering support of her countrymen even during her setbacks, as she proclaimed:

"You know how passionate my countrymen are, and they motivate me more to give my best every time. Even when I was losing before, they stuck with me through the ups and downs of my career."

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Zamboanga captured the ONE interim atomweight MMA world title last January at ONE 170 with a Round 2 TKO win over Alyona Rassohyna. This earned her a shot at the undisputed championship belt of Stamp Fairtex.

However, the Thai superstar recently reinjured her knee in training, which prompted her to vacate the 26-pound golden belt and pave the way for the world's largest martial arts organization to declare Zamboanga as the new queen of the weight class.

Denice Zamboanga taking step back in intense training after Stamp Fairtex showdown was scrapped

Now that her mega showdown with Stamp has been officially postponed, the T-Rex Martial Arts representative is taking a cautious approach to her training regimen to avoid any injuries in camp. In her recent interview with Nick Atkin, the 28-year-old MMA star said that she reverted to light training. Denice Zamboanga said:

"We just started doing the game plan since April. Actually, I just started the camp in April and then we were planning to do the serious camp this month. But after the announcement, I have to do the light training again because if I do hard training and then start my camp, I might face injury again. So I'm very very careful about my training. I have to train smart so I can avoid some injuries."

About the author

Anatoly is an MMA writer with six years of experience. He covers ONE Championship at Sportskeeda, where he has contributed over 1000 pieces. He previously served as the lead MMA writer for BetMGM’s blog.

Anatoly holds a bachelor's degree in communication, which he feels has had a significant impact on his career.

Jon Jones’ submission win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in 2011 got him hooked to MMA. His favorite fighters include Eduard Folayang, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Anatoly provides Sportskeeda with exclusive pieces and has previously interviewed the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion, Adriano Moraes. While writing his pieces, he follows an extensive research process, referring only to credible sources like the UFC’s official website, Sherdog, and ESPN. He also likes to provide insights to his readers by keeping in mind important pillars of communication like media literacy and audience dynamics.

Anatoly advocates for a healthy and fit lifestyle by including boxing in his routine. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Subham