Denice Zamboanga, the first Filipina MMA titleholder in ONE Championship, says she was dealing with a shoulder injury during the bout.
ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight Champion Denice Zamboanga revealed that she was battling a shoulder injury during her historic victory over Alyona Rassohyna in ONE Fight Night 27 in Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok last January 11.
During an interview with One News’ Play by Play, Zamboanga said that she was nursing some pain on her left shoulder, which affected her performance — especially with her punches and lifts.
“Two weeks before the fight, I had muscle strain dito sa shoulder ko kaya hindi ko siya masuntok or mabuhat,” said Zamboanga.
“'Di pa [ako] 100% pero nagrisk na lang ako and alam ko God will give this belt for me,” she added.
Heading into the fight, Zamboanga faced numerous setbacks, while also waiting five years for her official shot at the title. It was back in 2020 that the Filipina fighter was declared the top contender for the belt that was then with Singapore’s Angela Lee.
[ALSO READ: Denice Zamboanga dominates Alyona Rassohyna to claim interim ONE Atomweight belt]
Despite everything, Zamboanga said that her convincing victory was more than worth the wait.
“Sobrang grateful and I feel so blessed kasi I made history in the country to become the first Filipina MMA world champion. Kaya sobrang grateful ako to have this gold, to get this gold,” said Zamboanga, who also had the belt with her during the interview.
“Sulit lahat ng pagod, sacrifices, and iyak sa training.”
The 28-year-old showed a masterclass against Rassohyna, where no one could hardly tell her injury.
Her preparedness and response against her Ukranian foe could all be credited to her coaches and preparation.
A student of the game, Zamboanga said that she took her time in understanding her opponent.
“Actually, she’s a submission specialist, she’s really good in her ground [game]. Gusto niya itakedown ako tapos madaan niya ako sa ground and masubmit niya ako. Pero, our team, my coaches worked on how we will defend that.” said Zamboanga.
“Kasi every day talaga inaaral namin yung bawat galaw niya. Like sobrang small details talagang inaaral namin and first round palang, sinabi na ng coach ko actually one of my coaches, si Fritz [Biagtan], yung husband ko, is kaya ko yan. Kaya ko yung kalaban ko.”
Though riding the high of winning the interim belt, Zamboanga’s mission still isn’t over as she is set to face pal Stamp Fairtex for a title unification bout sometime in the near future.