“I was expecting to finish her” - Denice Zamboanga frustrated after missing out on submission chance vs Noelle Grandjean
Denice Zamboanga was happy to get the win at ONE 167, but she was really hoping to score a finish against her short-notice opponent.
Stepping inside the Circle at the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, 'The Menace' was originally set to square off with reigning ONE atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex. Unfortunately, the Thai superstar suffered an injury while training that forced her to bow out of the bout.
Taking her place was Noelle Grandjean, who had just competed a month earlier at ONE Fight Night 22 against undefeated Japanese star Chihiro Sawada.
Zamboanga delivered a dominant performance against Grandjean, earning a unanimous decision victory, marking her third straight win under the ONE Championship banner.
However, 'The Menace' was banking on making a much bigger statement against 'Lil Monkey.'
"It’s kinda frustrating because I was expecting to finish her," she told the South China Morning Post. "In the first round, I got the choke, but I wasn’t successful. But I’m still happy that I got the win and won by unanimous decision."
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.
Denice Zamboanga calls for an interim title opportunity against Japanese star Chihiro Sawada
No timeline has been revealed for Stamp's return to action, but if the atomweight queen is staring down the barrel of a lengthy layoff, Denice Zamboanga would love to chance to compete for an interim atomweight world title — and she's got the perfect opponent in mind.
[For the interim world title] I think I’d like to fight Sawada," Zamboanga added. "I’ve never fought a pure wrestling fighter. So it’ll be interesting."
The 26-year-old Japanese upstart has laid waste to the competition in ONE Championship thus far, earning dominant victories over Sanaz Fayazmanesh, Jihin Radzuan, and the aforementioned Grandjean.
Is an interim title tilt between Denice Zamboanga and Chihiro Sawada the move to make?