"She's a really good fighter" - Denice Zamboanga stacks praise on Noelle Grandjean ahead of pivotal atomweight showdown
Denice Zamboanga reflected on her experience training with upcoming opponent Noelle Grandjean.
At ONE 167, Zamboanga was scheduled to challenge Stamp Fairtex for her women's atomweight MMA world title. Unfortunately, Stamp pulled out after suffering a torn meniscus during her training camp, leading to Grandjean stepping up on short notice to face 'The Menace.'
Grandjean and Stamp have one thing in common - they both previously trained with Zamboanga at the Fairtex Training Center in Thailand.
During an interview with ONE, the Filipino superstar looked back on her experience training with Grandjean, also known as 'Lil Monkey,' by saying:
"She's a really good fighter, and one thing I admired was that she doesn't need to lose a lot of weight in every camp. Our intense sparring sessions and mutual encouragement are good memories that motivate me now."
ONE 167 goes down inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.
Friday's event featuring Denice Zamboanga vs Noelle Grandjean can be seen live and for free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Are Denice Zamboanga and Noelle Grandjean fighting for atomweight MMA title shot?
Denice Zamboanga initially earned a ONE women's atomweight MMA title shot against Stamp Fairtex by taking out Lin Heqin and Julie Mazabarba.
With a win at ONE 167, the number two-ranked atomweight would further prove she deserves an opportunity to dethrone her close friend and former training partner.
Meanwhile, Noelle Grandjean is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Chihiro Sawada, which took place on May 3. If Grandjean can defeat Zamboanga, she could quickly climb the women's atomweight MMA rankings.
There's no doubt that Zamboanga deserves a title shot against Stamp once the latter returns from her injury. As for Grandjean, she would likely need one more win, as jumping Sawada in the rankings wouldn't make sense.
It should be noted that anything can happen moving forward. Grandjean could defeat Zamboanga and be ready for a short-notice opportunity to challenge Stamp for ONE gold later this year.