Jihin Radzuan says Denice Zamboanga's striking improved immensely ahead of title tilt with Stamp
Fifth-ranked ONE Championship women's atomweight MMA contender 'Shadow Cat' Jihin Radzuan of Malaysia has worked closely with reigning and undisputed atomweight MMA queen Stamp Fairtex as the latter's chief sparring partner in Thailand. But Stamp's upcoming opponent, according to Radzuan, is not one the champion should underestimate.
Stamp is set to make the first defense of her ONE women's atomweight MMA world title against close friend and No.2-ranked contender 'The Menace' Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines.
The two lock horns in the main event of ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video, which broadcasts live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Jihin spoke from her own experience of facing Zamboanga, that 'The Menace' is not one to look over.
'Shadow Cat' said:
"I fought and lost [via unanimous decision] to [Denice Zamboanga]. She was more on engaging takedowns and controlling [on the ground] back then. In her recent fights, she dared to exchange punches and still engaged in takedowns and control."
Radzuan lost to Zamboanga in December of 2019, dropping a three round unanimous decision to the Filipina standout, so the Malaysian star definitely knows Zamboanga's biggest strengths.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga live and absolutely free on U.S. primetime, Friday, June 7th on Amazon Prime Video.
Jihin Radzuan expects Stamp Fairtex to finish Denice Zamboanga via 'ground and pound'
As Stamp's chief training partner at Fairtex in Pattaya, Jihin Radzuan believes her teammate will be able to take Denice Zamboanga down to the mat and finish her from there.
'Shadow Cat' told Sportskeeda MMA:
"We all know that she is very strong in her striking. I see this fight is going to be a striking exchange, and if it's going to the ground, she [Stamp] will finish it with ground and pound."
It's a bold prediction from Radzuan. But if anyone knows what Stamp is capable of, it's the Malaysian 'Shadow Cat'.