Denice Zamboanga says she’d take any fight offer that ONE Championship puts on the table: “I trust them 100 percent”
Denice Zamboanga knows she deserves a shot to become the ONE atomweight MMA world champion, but she'll take any fight the promotion brings her way.
Stepping inside the Circle at ONE 167 inside the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, 'The Menace' was originally scheduled to square off with the promotion's reigning atomweight queen, Stamp Fairtex.
Unfortunately, Stamp suffered an injury while training, forcing her to bow out of the bout.
Determined to stay on the card, Zamboanga moved, opting to face short-notice replacement opponent Noelle Grandjean in The Land of Smiles. Zamboanga delivered a dominant performance, securing her third-straight win and further establishing herself as the next woman in line for a shot at atomweight gold.
With no timeline for Stamp's return to the Circle, Zamboanga is happy to put her future in ONE's hands, opting to accept any fight the promotion offers up.
"It’s up to ONE Championship, their plans, and I trust them 100 percent," Zamboanga told Sportskeeda MMA following her win at ONE 167. "I know that they will give me a great matchup next."
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE 167 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.
Who's next for Denice Zamboanga?
If Denice Zamboanga isn't intent on waiting for Stamp to return, he has a handful of options available to keep her busy at atomweight—the first being a trilogy fight with the division's No. 1 ranked contender, Ham Seo Hee.
'Hamzzang' and Zamboanga have tussled twice before, with Ham winning both bouts, the first at ONE: Empower in 2021 via a split decision. Six months later, they ran it back at ONE X, with Ham scoring a much more decisive unanimous decision victory.
Aside from a trilogy fight with Ham, Zamboanga could face a fresh challenge against undefeated Japanese standout Chihiro Sawada. Since making her ONE debut last year, Sawada has earned three straight wins against Sanaz Fayazmanesh, Jihin Radzuan, and Noelle Grandjean.
Overall, she is 8-0-1 in MMA and sits as the No. 3 ranked contender at atomweight—one spot behind Zamboanga.
If it's not Stamp, who would you like to see Zamboanga fight in her next outing?