Noelle Grandjean won’t have any issue setting friendship aside with Denice Zamboanga: “We have the same goal”
Noelle Grandjean is confident that her friendship with Denice Zamboanga will take center stage once they get done punching each other in the face at ONE 167.
Originally, Zamboanga was set to square off with reigning ONE atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex at the event emanating from Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Sadly, Stamp suffered an injury in the weeks leading up to the bout, forcing her to undergo surgery on Monday, May 20.
Determined to keep Zamboanga on the card, ONE Championship secured a replacement opponent in Grandjean, a Thai-French fighter who just went three rounds with undefeated Japanese standout Chihiro Sawada on May 3.
Like with Stamp, Denice Zamboanga is good friends with Grandjean, but 'Lil Monkey' is confident that their relationship won't take a hit no matter the outcome on Friday, June 7.
“Of course, we don’t want to punch each other’s faces," Grandjean told ONE Championship. "But at the end of the day, we have the same goal. That’s what we have to do. After the fight, we can eat donuts together.”
Noelle Grandjean can disrupt the atomweight MMA rankings with a win at ONE 167
Making her promotional debut in October 2022, Noelle Grandjean has alternated wins and losses in her first four appearances, starting with a big first-round knockout against highly-touted MMA prospect Lea Bivins at ONE on Prime Video 3.
10 months later, she suffered a second-round submission loss to So Yul Kim.
In her two 2024 appearances, 'Lil Monkey' has earned a unanimous decision W against Victoria Souza followed by her decision loss to Sawada last month.
As for Denice Zamboanga, the T-Rex MMA product is an impressive 10-2 in her mixed martial arts career with her biggest wins coming against Jihin Radzuan, Mei Yamaguchi, Lin Heqin, and Julie Mezabarba.
Will 'The Menace' snatch another big win and further establish herself as the atomweight division's top contender, or will Noelle Grandjean pull off the short-notice upset and thrust herself into the rankings?
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime this Friday, June 7.