"I need to take this opportunity" - Noelle Grandjean says accepting short-notice bout with Denice Zamboanga was a no-brainer
Noelle Grandjean finds herself on the cusp of what would be the biggest win of her career to date at ONE 167.
The atomweight MMA contender fought just this past May at ONE Fight Night 22 where she suffered a defeat.
After losing a unanimous decision to Chihiro Sawada, Grandjean couldn't have expected what the next few weeks would have in store for her.
The French-Thai fighter received a call-up that could change her entire trajectory in ONE Championship after stepping up on short notice.
With Stamp Fairtex out of the main event of ONE 167 due to a knee injury, Denice Zamboanga was in need of a new opponent.
Having been set to compete for the ONE atomweight MMA world championship, Grandjean knew what a win over the Filipino standout could do to her career.
In a recent interview with ONE Championship, she spoke about her decision to take this fight and why she couldn't pass on it:
"Honestly, I just think it's a big opportunity, and I know a lot of people would love to be in my place. So I just realized I need to take this opportunity."
Noelle Grandjean could bounce back in style on June 7
A win over Denice Zamboanga isn't any normal bounce-back win for Noelle Grandjean which would be a great opportunity in itself.
Beating the contender who was already scheduled to fight for the world championship would be a huge statement of intent.
She may have been beaten by Sawada last time out but a win over Zamboanga would certainly overshadow that recent setback.
Grandjean can look to shake up the entire division by capitalizing on this opportunity that has fallen into our hands following the unfortunate circumstances that forced the world champion off the card.
ONE 167 will air live in US prime time from the Impact Arena on June 7, free of charge for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.