Denice Zamboanga on Chihiro Sawada breaking into the top-five atomweight ranking: "I think it's too fast"
At ONE 167, Denice Zamboanga will look to prove once and for all that she is the top contender in the atomweight division.
The Filipino stand out had already secured a shot at the world championship based off of a run of impressive performances.
However, as Zamboanga knows well, anything can happen in this sport and a lot can change in the space of just a few months.
If Zamboanga chose to sit out on June 7 following the injury that Stamp Fairtex suffered in training two weeks ago, she could find herself being overlapped by another contender.
The most notable of these names would be the latest contender to break into the top five rankings in No.3-ranked Chihiro Sawada.
With three consecutive wins since arriving in ONE Championship, the Japanese contender has proven herself to be a legitimate threat.
In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Denice Zamboanga, who sits at the No.2 spot, said that she isn't overly concerned about Sawada as of yet after believing that she has climbed the ranks too quickly:
"I think [she's climbed into the rankings] because she beat Jihin and Noelle Grandjean. But, yeah, I think it's too fast."
Watch the full interview below:
Denice Zamboanga looks to cement her status on June 7
On June 7, after being forced to miss another ONE atomweight MMA world championship contest, Denice Zamboanga will attempt to cement her status as the next in line.
She will be staying on the card against the last woman that Chihiro Sawada beat, Noelle Grandjean. They face off in an atomweight MMA joust.
Zamboanga isn't ready to let anything pass her by even if she doesn't have the opportunity to leave ONE 167 with the atomweight gold.
An impressive performance against Grandjean will allow her to keep her momentum for when the world champion does return.
ONE 167 will air live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, next Friday, June 7. North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire card live in U.S. primetime for free.