Interim ONE Championship Women's Atomweight champion Denice Zamboanga at the T-Rex MMA Gym, recently opened with her brother Drex, in Quezon City on January 21, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Three weeks before the biggest fight of her life, Denice Zamboanga tweaked her left shoulder.

There was enough pain for the Filipina MMA fighter to contemplate asking for the bout — against Ukraine's Alyona Rassohyna — to be postponed.

If Zamboanga had done so, it would have meant a few more weeks, perhaps a few more months, of waiting. Another stretch of trying to get back to 100%, of refining her game plan, of keeping herself sharp. One more stretch of trying to deal with the frustration over yet another delay in the road to the top that has taken longer than she has hoped for.

But Denice Zamboanga had waited long enough.

"Sabi ko, gumaling o hindi 'to, lalaban ako," she said.

Several years of waiting ended in less than ten minutes for Zamboanga on January 11 at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

She dominated Rassohyna in their atomweight showdown, repeatedly beating the Ukrainian at her own game as she stayed in control whenever the fight went to the mat.

Rassohyna had entered the bout with a reputation for being a submission specialist but, that night, Zamboanga issued a reminder that her own grappling skills should not be questioned.

With less than 20 seconds left in the second round, Zamboanga had Rassohyna in a prone position. The Ukrainian covered up with her hands as "The Menace" landed a series of strikes and elbows. There was no answer from Rassohyna as Zamboanga unloaded on her, and after a few more moments, referee Herb Dean pulled the Filipina fighter from her foe.

Zamboanga screamed, and covered her face with her hands. In a flash, her coaches swarmed the ring, led by her older brother, Drex.

Moments later, when she was officially announced as the winner and the heavy gold belt was finally put over her shoulder, Zamboanga dropped to her knees again and allowed the emotion to overcome her.

"Sobrang emotional ko kasi sobrang dami kong pinagdaanan," said Zamboanga. 

"Years in the making," she added, "to get to this point."

-- ANSWERING HER OWN QUESTIONS -- 

The official result of the fight was a technical knockout victory for Zamboanga (7 wins, 2 losses), with the end coming at the 4:47 mark of the second round. The win gave her the interim ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Championship, making her the first Filipina to win an MMA world title.

READ: Zamboanga stops Rassohyna to capture interim ONE title

More than a week after the bout, and the result has already sunk in for Zamboanga. She is grateful for her achievement, especially as it made so many Filipino fight fans happy, and signalled a strong start to the year for the local mixed martial arts scene.

Already, she is receiving invitations from politicians who want to recognize her feat. On January 20, she was at the Philippine Senate, where she met with Sens. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go and Mark Villar.

Her historic victory has also soothed the frustration of her long and uneven road to the top of the division.

Now, Zamboanga can afford to laugh when she recalls the delays and the postponements, the seemingly endless cycle of preparing and training only for the opportunity to be yanked from her grasp. 

"May mga times na sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na, is this really for me? Is this fight or this championship really for me? Kasi tuloy-tuloy 'yung training ko, Sunday lang ang pahinga ko. Sobrang hirap ng mga pinagdadaanan," she said.

Zamboanga is the first to say that frustration is "very normal" for MMA fighters. But she can't be blamed if she had at times succumbed to dismay and even anger, considering her road to the championship suffered no less than four postponements before she finally met Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27.

In 2020, Zamboanga reeled off a series of impressive wins against ranked opponents that put her on track to challenge the then-atomweight queen, Angela Lee.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and Lee's ensuing pregnancy forced a change in plans, with ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong instead putting up a Women’s World Grand Prix.

There, Zamboanga absorbed a controversial loss to Ham Seo Hee that set her back to the drawing board. She returned to contender status in time to set up a showdown against her good friend and former training partner, Stamp Fairtex, for the lineal crown at ONE 166: Qatar in March 2024.

Their encounter was postponed for ONE 167 in June. Unfortunately, Stamp suffered a torn meniscus with just two weeks before fight night.

Zamboanga stayed busy. She overpowered Noelle "Lil Monkey" Grandjean at ONE 167 to solidify her status as the top contender, and ONE Championship set up a bout between her and Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 25 in October 2024 for the interim belt.

Two months before ONE Fight Night 25, Zamboanga injured her hamstring.

"Wala akong choice [but] to cancel," she said.

She threw herself back into training, determined to work herself back into fighting shape. But at the back of her mind, the questions and doubts were already propping up.

"'Yung unang postponement, 'yung mga unang cancelled, medyo okay-okay pa sa akin. Pero 'yung mga pangalawa, pangatlo na, parang medyo masakit na siya, tapos parang medyo nadi-disappoint na rin ako," Zamboanga admitted.

"'Yung last na postponement, talagang, sobrang emotional ko na eh, kay Kuya and kay Fritz [Biagtan, her husband] eh."

READ: Denice Zamboanga gets new date for shot at interim world title

READ: For Zamboanga, injury not a reason to stop training

Having Kuya Drex and Fritz — both of whom are MMA fighters as well — in her corner is crucial for Zamboanga, who also leaned on her faith whenever the frustrations became a little too much to deal with. 

"Lagi akong nagpe-pray, and also with my brother [Drex Zamboanga] and kay Fritz [Biagtan], 'yung husband ko. Laging sa kanila akong umiiyak. Lagi kong sinasabi na, is this, sa akin ba talaga 'to? Kaya ko ba talaga kunin 'to? Binigay ba talaga ni Lord 'tong mga challenges na 'to para mas sikipan ko pa na kunin 'yung gold, para mas maging gutom pa ako sa gold," she said.

Zamboanga couldn't control the timing of her opponent's injuries, or even her own. She couldn't deny the disappointment and the frustration that she felt. She couldn't keep the questions and doubts from coming to her mind.

What she can do, and what she did, is to regain her fitness. She channeled her disappointment and frustration into training, so that when the bell rang, she would know how to answer all the questions and erase all the doubts.

"'Yun ang ginawa kong kalakasan, para mas mas ma-motivate pa. Sinabi ko sa sarili ko, siguro ito 'yung way para mas nag-develop pa ako sa kung anong skills and weaknesses na kailangan ko," Zamboanga said.

Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines in action against Ukraine's Alyona Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27, January 11, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. Zamboanga won via TKO to become the interim ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Champion. Handout/ONE Championship

Not even a strained shoulder would stop Zamboanga this time. She ignored the pain, instead putting all her focus on implementing her game plan against Rassohyna. She was careful and calculated, refusing to let Rassohyna trap her in dangerous situations. Late in the first round, the Ukrainian tried for an armbar. Zamboanga slipped out of it, landed a punch, then stood up. With Rassohyna on her back, "The Menace" gestured for her to get to her feet, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Rassohyna tried other tricks. Towards the end of the second round, she briefly attempted a choke, only for Zamboanga to transition to side control almost immediately. From there, the end came quickly. The Filipina landed, by her count, almost 30 unanswered strikes and elbows. She heard her coaches yelling from their corner: "Stay on top, stay heavy and just do ground and pound."

She kept going, even as she waited for Herb Dean to stop the fight. At some point, Zamboanga said she started feeling sorry for her opponent.

"Hindi pa ba i-stop 'to, kasi medyo tumatama, sobrang lakas na rin eh. Kasi before noong fight namin, na-meet ko rin and nakausap ko rin siya, mabait siyang tao. Kaya medyo naawa ako," she explained.

"Pero business is business," Zamboanga added, "Kaya kailangan ko tapusin."

-- THE INTERIM TITLE -- 

The first person to celebrate with Zamboanga was the same person who had been there from the start of her career. Her older brother, Drex, lifted her up from the mat and carried her around the ring even as she sobbed, overwhelmed by her victory. 

Kuya Drex had been there for Denice virtually every step of the way. He encouraged her to learn self-defense, eventually setting her on the path to mixed martial arts. He was with her in Pattaya, Thailand in 2020, when they joined the Fairtex Training Center in a bid to elevate their skills. He was there when they moved to Marrok Force MMA in Bangkok in 2022, and he was there when they decided to go back home in 2024 to open their own gym in Quezon City.

It's here now, at the T-Rex MMA Gym, that Zamboanga put everything together. All the skills and techniques that she learned in nearly half a decade in Thailand were further sharpened at home, under the watchful eye of Kuya Drex and her husband Fritz, whom she married in March last year. When Zamboanga got the job done against Rassohyna, no one was prouder than the man who guided her to the top of the mountain.

"Sobrang masaya ako na nakuha ni Denice 'yung belt ng ONE Championship. Kasi nakita ko 'yung progress niya, simula noong nag-start siyang mag-MMA hanggang sa naging champion siya. So I'm very proud, kasi nakita ko 'yung dedication niya, 'yung hard work niya," said Drex.

What makes Drex all the more thrilled is how his younger sister got the win. Denice's stoppage of Rassohyna is her first technical knockout win in the promotion, and it capped off arguably her best, most complete performance in ONE Championship — a masterful showing from the 28-year-old, who only began fighting full time in 2019 upon resigning from her job with a non-government organization.

"Sobrang as in natuwa ako. Kasi first TKO finish niya 'yun. So, kumbaga ako, as a kuya niya, parang nakita ko na … Noong tinaas 'yung kamay niya, nakita ko 'yung bunga ng hard work niya, at the same time, 'yung puso niya talaga sa laban," Drex said.

Denice, too, beams when she reflects on her performance against Rassohyna. It's one thing to win a championship — it's another to do it in such a dominant and comprehensive manner.

For the younger Zamboanga, hearing pundits praise her performance against her Ukrainian foe is a validation of years upon years of hard work.

"Every second counts doon sa [ring]. Parang, one second, parang ano, one week ko 'yan ginawa eh. A year ko 'yun bago natutunan," she said. "Kaya sobrang masaya ako na na-appreciate ng mga tao 'yung mga ganoong klase. Kitang-kita nila 'yung improvement ko, and nakita nila kung paano ko pinaghirapan 'yung ganoon klaseng laban."

READ: Adiwang roots for Zamboanga to bring home ONE title

Yet as proud as they are, the Zamboanga siblings are well aware that Denice's title still carries with it the "interim" label. It's certainly a huge feat — a historic one, even — but Zamboanga will be the first to say that being the "interim" champion is not her goal.

She is determined to attach another label to her name — undisputed.

To get there — to reach this new mountaintop — she has to go back to the beginning. She has to take on a woman she's very familiar with — a fighter she's faced off against several times in training. She has to test herself against a former training partner who has already made a name for herself in not one, not two, but three different sports in ONE Championship. 

Stamp Fairtex, who still fights out of the Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, entered the ring after Zamboanga defeated Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27, and offered her friend her genuine congratulations. Still the reigning ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Champion, Stamp has also won the division's top title in Muay Thai and kickboxing, making her the promotion's first three-sport world champion.

She and Zamboanga hugged inside the ring, and Stamp made it very clear that she is on her way back to fighting shape, and ready for a showdown that they have both been waiting for.

"I'm so excited to fight her in the ring. I'm ready to fight her," Stamp had said.

When she remembers the moment, Zamboanga can only smile. 

"Noong nakita ko siya sa cage, ano ako eh, mas na-excite ako na lumaban, na labanan siya," she said. "Parang sabi ko, hindi dito magtatapos. Hindi ako dito magtatapos. Ito pa lang 'yung simula."

"Magsisimula pa lang ako na kunin 'yung belt sa kaniya," she added.

READ: Stamp Fairtex making good progress in recovery

-- A TRAILBLAZER -- 

Interim ONE Championship Women's Atomweight champion Denice Zamboanga at the T-Rex MMA Gym, recently opened with her brother Drex, in Quezon City on January 21, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

To get to the gym where Denice Zamboanga trained to become a champion, one has to climb a narrow, winding metal staircase. The space is located at the top floor of an unassuming building in Quezon City; the only indication that a world champion lives there is a tarpaulin fixed to the front, congratulating Zamboanga on her achievement. 

T-Rex MMA Gym is a humble space. There are a couple of punching bags in one corner, and an exercise bike in another, surrounded by a bevy of weights and medicine balls. Punching mitts fill up a shelf. There are a handful of belts in another shelf, as well as medals from ONE Championship.

This is the next mountain that Zamboanga hopes to climb. She wants a bigger gym, with more gear and equipment, with more space to train and spar and work out. And she wants other women to be there, too — female fighters who can follow her footsteps and win championships in promotions all over the world.

Kuya Drex laughs when he recalls how they trained Denice for Rassohyna. She sparred with male fighters at the gym, knocking them out, putting them in submission holds. "Wala ngang babae dito, puro lalaki lang," he says.

Male ego had to take a step back whenever Denice beat them up. "'Yun ang goal niya, na matalo kami sa sparring, mapa-tap out kami, ma-submit kami. 'Okay lang 'yun, Nice.' Kumbaga, kami lalaki kami. Maano naman 'yun. Pero 'yung history na magagawa mo sa Philippines, hindi 'yun mawawala," Drex remembers telling his sister.

Denice is acutely aware of her status in Philippine MMA. She knows that she is not just a champion, but a trailblazer. She heard it out loud at the Lumpinee stadium, when she was declared as the first Filipina to win an MMA world championship. 

"Sobrang iba 'yung feeling," she said. "Parang, oo nga. Parang nananaginip ba ako? Sobrang iba 'yung feeling, hindi ko ma-describe kung gaano ako kasaya noong narinig ko 'yan. Parang lahat ng hard work ko, nag-pay off."

Yet she knows she cannot stop there. It cannot stop at only one Filipina title-holder. The Philippines has had multiple male champions in mixed martial arts; Zamboanga sees no reason that Filipina fighters cannot reach the same summit.

"I am the first Filipina to become an MMA world champion sa country natin. Gusto ko na ma-inspire na 'yung other women na mag-train in mixed martial arts," she said. "Hopefully, may mga female athletes na makita kung ano 'yung story na ginawa ko para makuha 'tong belt na 'to."

Already, Kuya Drex is seeing the impact of his sister's triumph. He says they have received plenty of messages from women who hope to train with them, with Denice. He welcomes all of them at T-Rex MMA, even as he acknowledges that they will soon run out of space.

"We're actually looking na rin for another space, extension ng gym. Kasi ang sikip na namin dito. Minsan umaabot pa kami ng 20 dito. 'Di na namin alam paano mapagkakasya 'yung mga fighters at saka mga clients," he said.

"Lalo na ngayon, dahil nga nakuha ni Denice 'yung belt," he added, "Talagang dudumugin na 'yung gym."

-- THE MAIN EVENT --

Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines celebrates with Thailand's Stamp Fairtex after winning the interim ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Championship. Zamboanga and Stamp are set to face off in a title unification bout later in 2025. Handout/ONE Championship

But first: unfinished business.

There is no date yet nor a venue for the eventual title unification bout between Zamboanga and Stamp. There's only the vague knowledge that they will fight — "Hopefully this year," Denice says — and this time, it will be for real.

When they touch gloves, it will be inside the ONE Championship ring, for the division's biggest prize. It will no longer be a sparring session in Pattaya, where afterwards they can goof around and laugh, appear on each other's TikToks, and take selfies. This time, there is too much at stake.

The friendship will still be there, of course. Denice says they have tried to talk trash, but it doesn't quite work. It doesn't fit their dynamic. At the Lumpinee, after Zamboanga's victory, they declared themselves ready to fight each other, but that's as far as it went.

"Kahit sabihin ng media na parang, gusto niyo mag-trash talk ng kaunti? Pwede 'yun. Pero sobrang natural sa aming dalawa na ganoon 'yung reaction namin pag nakikita namin ang isa't isa," said Zamboanga. 

In any case, trash talk feels unnecessary. Even without any real life beef between the fighters, the showdown between Zamboanga and Stamp is already one of the most anticipated bouts of the year. It is, after all, a long-awaited clash between the best in the division, a match-up between former training partners who are determined to prove to each other just how much they've progressed as fighters. 

"Alam nila 'yung galaw ng isa't isa dahil nga magka-training partner sila dati sa Thailand," Drex notes. "Pero ang kinaganda naman kay Denice is nagi-improve lahat ng aspect ng skills niya, when it comes to grappling, when it comes to striking."

"Lahat 'yun ano eh, kumbaga, may bagong arsenal siya na pinapakita pag lumalaban," he added.

The Denice Zamboanga of 2020, the one Stamp used to spar with? Kuya Drex says that fighter has changed, evolved.

"Wala na, sobrang ibang-iba na talaga," he said of his sister.

Denice doesn't talk trash, but she doesn't back down, either. She won't deny that she is confident against Stamp. She's worked too hard for far too long, and she won't downplay her own chances. She says she is ready to fight "anytime."

"Wala naman ako masyadong injury," she says, "And nanggigil ako noong nag-meet kami sa loob ng ring … I'm waiting for her."

When she does meet Stamp, however, Zamboanga wants it to be at the biggest stage, under the brightest of lights. She believes that she has earned it.

"I think I deserve na maging main event kapag nag-laban kami ni Stamp," said Zamboanga. 

"Pero 100%, if I'll fight with Stamp, 100% main event eh. Stamp is a superstar in ONE Championship. Kaya I'm confident na pag naglaban kami, main event talaga," she added.

Right now, Zamboanga must wait. Stamp is still recovering from her knee injury, and perhaps the Thai star will first want a warm-up fight before taking on "The Menace" in a title unification bout. Yet the wait does not faze Denice. She has plenty of experience in waiting now, and she has learned that a little patience pays off in the most unforgettable of ways.

"The delay is a blessing," as Kuya Drex has told her. "Kung hindi man binigay sa iyo ni Lord ngayon, siguro may right time for you, and once na dumating na 'yun, doon mo na ibigay 'yung best mo."

"At 'yun," Drex says, "Nagawa naman namin."

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