Denice Zamboanga eyes MMA title, open to compete in Muay Thai, kickboxing
MANILA, Philippines — Up-and-coming ONE women's atomweight contender Denice Zamboanga may be focused on mixed martial arts right now.
But that doesn't mean she is limiting herself to only one discipline -- expressing future plans to participate in the Singapore promotion's Muay Thai and Kickboxing tournaments.
"Ngayon focused talaga ako sa MMA pero pangarap ko talaga lumaban sa ibang martial arts sa ONE Championship," the No. 1 ranked atomweight contender told Philstar.com on Friday.
Right now though, she is faced with a tremendous task in the upcoming women's atomweight Grand Prix where she is expected to face some of the division's toughest contenders.
That's why even if it has been almost a year since the Quezon City-born fighter went back to the Philippines, she is bucking the homesickness to work towards becoming the first Filipina champion in ONE Championship.
"Talagang sacrifice na malayo ka sa pamilya mo diba... namimiss mo yung aso mo, namimiss mo yung kapatid mo," Zamboanga quipped.
"Everyday sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na kailangan ko magtraining. Sinusulit ko yung bawat araw na andito ako to become the best," she continued.
Zamboanga currently fights out of Marrok Gym, a stable based in Thailand, where she has been stuck since early last year due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The 24-year-old is expected to plow through a number of top-ranked atomweight contenders as the year goes by, including the second ranked atomweight from ONE Championship Meng Bo who recently called out the Filipino fighter for a bout.
ONE Championship has yet to name a next opponent for Zamboanga, who has been undefeated in her seven professional fights.
But the Filipina fighter insists that she is ready, whoever she has to face in the ONE Circle.
"I stay ready, kung sino man ibigay sa akin," she said.
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