"It's important to get the fun side back" - Noelle Grandjean aiming for the 'spectacular' against Denice Zamboanga
Noelle Grandjean plans to make a statement against Denice Zamboanga. On Friday, June 7, ONE Championship will return to the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand for ONE 167.
The main event was initially supposed to feature Stamp Fairtex defending her women's atomweight MMA world title against Zamboanga. However, Fairtex was forced to withdraw after suffering a torn meniscus about three weeks ago.
Zamboanga was later offered short notice opponent in Grandjean, who's coming off a loss against Chihiro Sawada. 'The Menace' accepted the opportunity for the intriguing women's atomweight MMA matchup at ONE 167.
Noelle Grandjean recently sat for an interview with ONE to discuss her upcoming fight. 'Lil Monkey' said she wanted to "do something spectacular" against the number two ranked contender in her division:
"It's just intense training all the time. I'm also focused on having fun. This is what I lost in my last fight - the fun part. It's important to get the fun side back. I would love to do something spectacular in there," Grandjean said.
ONE 167 can be seen live and for free in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7, by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Could Noelle Grandjean steal Denice Zamboanga's title shot with a win at ONE 167?
Denice Zamboanga is riding a two-fight win streak heading into what was supposed to be a title shot against Stamp Fairtex.
Instead, the Filipino superstar is taking a massive risk against Noelle Grandjean, with a loss ruining her chance to face Stamp later this year when she recovers from the torn meniscus.
Meanwhile, Grandjean could regain momentum with a win at ONE 167. It's unclear what the promotion plans to do if 'Lil Monkey' wins on Friday, but there's no doubt that she would have a strong presence in the division.
There's also a possibility that the 28-year-old could face someone like Chihiro Sawada for a chance to break into the top five.
Firstly, Grandjean can't overlook the tough challenge of waiting inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Zamboanga plans to leave doubt that she will face Stamp later this year while her Thai-French opponent attempts to pull off an upset.