MANILA, Philippines — ONE Championship atomweight top contender Denice Zamboanga has recently met a snag in her quest for the title following titlist Angela Lee's pregnancy.
The Filipina fighter was supposed to face Lee right away for her title belt after an impressive unbeaten run with ONE, including a decisive victory over atomweight challenger Mei Yamaguchi.
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But it seems like the path won't be that simple for Zamboanga with ONE Championship announcing plans for a ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix where she would have to go through the promotion's toughest atomweights before earning the right to face Lee.
The development didn't sit well with Zamboanga initially, as she was already penciled in to vie for the title prior to the hiatus caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
But her brother and fellow ONE athlete Drex, though supportive of her stand that she had nothing left to prove, chooses to look at the positives presented by the situation.
"In my opinion, there is no need to determine who should fight Angela when she comes back, as Denice is already the number one contender for the title," Drex told ONE Chmapionship.
"That being said, the Atomweight Grand Prix is a great concept. It's an opportunity for Denice to win a prestigious world title. It's the same title held by a legend like Demetrious Johnson. We are grateful ONE Championship is doing this for the women's atomweight division," he added.
Denice and Lee previously had word wars following the promotion's announcement of the Grand Prix, with the latter claiming that the Filipina fighter has yet to prove herself worthy of the title.
The 23-year-old answered back, claiming that she had already done enough to earn a shot at Lee's belt.
Regardless of how both fighters felt, ONE Championship looks to carry on with the Grand Prix and will simply wait for Lee's return to action some time next year after her pregnancy.
Though presented with a much longer path, Drex believes it will still be his sister that will be in the ONE Circle against Lee when the time comes.
"Denice has been training hard every day for her championship fight. We knew from day one that she had the skills to beat Angela. I am excited for that fight, when it happens," said the former URCC bantamweight champion.