“She needs to focus on her ground game and wrestling” - Mark Sangiao outlines Denice Zamboanga’s path to beat Stamp
For Denice Zamboanga to seize the ONE atomweight MMA world title from Stamp Fairtex in their championship clash in June, she must come in with a solid ground game. This is according to longtime Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao.
'The Menace' will try to realize her long-standing dream of becoming a ONE world champion when she battles Stamp at ONE 167 on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
It will serve as the headlining contest of the event, which will be available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans via Amazon Prime Video.
When asked for his take on the scheduled marquee showdown by One Sports, Sangiao underscored the need for Denice Zamboanga to come up with a game plan that also includes a formidable ground game and mixing it up, as sticking to plain striking will not make the cut against a fighter like Stamp.
The coach said:
"As a coach, I would tell Denice to take the fight where Stamp is lacking -- she needs to focus on her ground game and wrestling."
Denice Zamboanga is riding a two-fight winning run heading into ONE 167. Her latest victory came in April last year, where she won by unanimous decision over Brazilian Julie Mezabarba.
For her part, Stamp will be making her first defense of the ONE atomweight MMA world title after ascending to the throne last September with a third-round TKO of veteran South Korean fighter Ham Seo Hee for the then-vacant championship belt.
Eduard Folayang believes Denice Zamboanga has the right team preparing her for title fight
Another person interested in how Denice Zamboanga will perform in her scheduled title fight at ONE 167 on June 7 in Thailand is former lightweight MMA world champion Eduard Folayang, who believes 'The Menace' has the right team preparing her for the big fight.
Now training with her brother and fellow ONE fighter Drex at the T-Rex Mixed Martial Arts Center in the Philippines, Folayang said it should serve her well in her preparation.
'Landslide' told ABS-CBN in an interview:
"One good thing about Denice is that she's surrounded herself with the right people in getting that belt. That will help her a lot."
Interestingly, Zamboanga used to train with Stamp, the fighter she wants to dethrone, at Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand.