"I've always been more knowledgeable" - Denice Zamboanga says she's always been better than Stamp at grappling
Denice Zamboanga is preparing for the biggest fight of her career, and it just so happens to be against an opponent she knows very well. The Filipino contender has put together some impressive wins as of late to find herself as the next in line for a shot at the ONE atomweight world championship.
After Angela Lee vacated the title in September last year, the belt was won by Stamp Fairtex who previously was training partners with Zamboanga.
This gives the challenger the advantage of knowing what to expect and while both women will have changed and evolved since the last time that they trained together, they're still the same athletes.
If there's one area that people may expect Zamboanga to have the edge in this fight, it's in her more well-rounded game compared to her opponent.
Stamp has been working hard for many years to become a full mixed martial artist but there's no denying that her striking background is still her specialist skillset.
In an interview with ONE Championship, the challenger said that she is confident in having the grappling advantage following her past experiences:
"Ever since we started training together [at Fairtex], I've always been more knowledgeable in grappling, and I feel I can use that against her in this match."
Denice Zamboanga can lean on this confidence when she needs it
Any opponent that is coming up against Stamp Fairtex is going to have a tough time dealing with her striking and Denice Zamboanga will already be aware of this.
However, she will always have the confidence in her grappling in the back pocket for when she needs it in this fight.
The same can't be said for the world champion despite the improvements that she has made in this field by working alongside the likes of Denice Zamboanga.
Grappling could prove to be decisive in this fight, especially if Zamboanga is able to neutralize her opponent's biggest strength.
ONE 167 will air live and free from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.