FREE FULL FIGHT: Denice Zamboanga and Ham Seo Hee go the distance in thrilling war
Top atomweight MMA contenders Denice Zamboanga and Ham Seo Hee fought in two competitive matches under ONE Championship, including a highly exciting first encounter three years ago in Singapore.
The two were featured in a ONE Atomweight MMA World Grand Prix quarterfinal clash at the all-women's card of ONE: Empower at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sept. 3, 2021.
ONE Championship recently uploaded the full match between Zamboanga and Ham at ONE: Empower for fight fans to relive and bask in.
Check out the video below:
At ONE: Empower, both fighters came out with dogged determination to come up with a victory.
Denice Zamboanga gained early inroads in the contest, getting success in the clinch that saw her land telling knee strikes. She tried to go for takedowns as the frame progressed but Ham was able to fend them off until the closing seconds when 'The Menace' was able to put 'Hamzzang' on her back.
In the second round, the South Korean veteran was more active but still the Filipino fighter held tough.
Sensing that she was still behind in the fight, Ham picked up the heat in the third and final round on the feet. But the two had their heads collide midway, with Denice Zamboanga left bloodied and had to be checked for some time. When the match resumed, she shot for a takedown right away and put the pressure on Ham.
In the end, however, it was Ham who had his hand raised in victory by way of a split decision. The win saw her join Stamp Fairtex, Itsuki Hirata and Ritu Phogat in the Grand Prix semifinals.
Zamboanga and Ham had a rematch six months later, with the latter winning anew by unanimous decision.
Denice Zamboanga recovers after back-to-back losses to Ham Seo Hee
Denice Zambaonaga hit a rough patch in her ONE Championship journey after back-to-back losses to South Korean rival Ham Seo Hee but has since wiggled out of it with three straight victories against different opponents.
The two clashed in two highly competitive matches in 2021 and 2022, which 'Hamzzang' took each time by decision.
'The Menace' eventually steadied the ship by stringing up three consecutive victories after, beginning with a split decision in December 2022 over Lin Heqin of China, which she followed up with a unanimous decision victory in April 2023.
Her latest win came last June, also by unanimous decision, over French-Thai fighter Noelle Grandjean.
The June fight was supposed to be a world title clash between Zamboanga and reigning ONE atomweight queen Stamp Faittex until the Thai superstar had to withdraw after injuring her knee in training.
Denice Zamboanga is still hoping to get her hands on the world title at some point when Stamp is healthy and ready to go.