Filipino superstar Denice Zamboanga says her “career is only just beginning” after ascending to undisputed champion status
Denice Zamboanga may have arguably reached the pinnacle of her career, but she believes she's only at the start of what might become an iconic run.
The Filipino superstar, who previously held interim gold, was recently elevated to undisputed ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion after Stamp Fairtex agreed to vacate the throne.
The Thai megastar aggravated her injured left knee, forcing her to the sidelines ahead of their matchup.
Stamp was supposed to face off against Zamboanga in a world title unification match at ONE 173: Denver, but she reaggravated her injured left knee during rehab.
Subsequently, due to other world title fights not materializing, ONE Championship's Denver event was moved from August 1, 2025, to June 26, 2026.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Zamboanga said she feels her career is only at its starting phase after her promotion to undisputed world champion status.
Denice Zamboanga said:
"I feel like my career is only just beginning after becoming the World Champion.”
Zamboanga, who's been fighting under the ONE Championship banner since 2019, captured the biggest win of her career when she dominated Alyona Rassohyna for the ONE women's atomweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 27 in January.
Showcasing an evolved form of her craft, 'The Menace' had an answer for everything Rassohyna threw at her during their Bangkok showdown.
Zamboanga, who uses a grappling-based offense, survived Rassohyan's submission attempts late in the second round of their fight before passing to side control to get dominant top position.
Upon getting her angle, Zamboanga battered Rassohyna with an unstoppable ground-and-pound barrage, forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the match 4:47 into the second.
Denice Zamboanga sees potential world title defense against surging Ayaka Miura
Denice Zamboanga doesn't have a set world title challenger, but she's already looking at the possibility of taking on a surging Japanese star.
Ayaka Miura, a former ONE women's strawweight MMA world title contender, has been on a tear with a four-fight winning streak, including three submission victories.
In an interview with Nick Atkin for the Bangkok Post, Zamboanga opened the possibility of defending her throne against the Japanese grappling machine.
"Since she's very active, I think that's one of her advantages. For me, it's a challenge because we are both good at grappling, but at the same time, she knows how to handle a fighter like me, so I think it will be a big challenge for me."