Denice "The Fairtex Menace" Zamboanga is set to make her ONE Championship debut on 6 December at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur against Wushu World Champion and MIMMA Women's Champion Jihin "Shadow Cat" Radzuan. The pair will square off at ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS.
The 22-year-old Filipina followed the footsteps of her older brother, Drex Zamboanga -- a regional champion in a local promotion, and became a professional martial artist.
After competing and remaining so far undefeated, Zamboanga wanted to improve her skills further. She heeded the advice from her good friend and ONE Championship athlete Rome Trinidad to spend parts of her camp inThailand and train with the world's best at the Fairtex Gym.
"I initially learned karate from my brother Drex, but I want to learn more and make my skills world-class, and that made me decide to go and train here in Fairtex," Zamboanga said.
"The Fairtex gym produces world champions, and I'm impressed with how their athletes perform on the international stage like Stamp [Fairtex]. I love the type of training and the facilities they offer. I have a lot of female sparring partners, which I had difficulty finding back home (in the Philippines)."
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Since April this year, Zamboanga has spent most of her time working on her craft in Pattaya. Along the way, she met and became friends with reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Stamp Fairtex.
"Stamp is like a sister to me and my best friend," Zamboanga said.
"It's like finding your long lost twin. We do the same training program, eat out, and going to the water park, and have fun. We also share a lot of stories, motivate each other, and do the usual things best friends do for each other."
"She is humble, hardworking, strong, and I love her determination. That's the quality of a fighter I aspire to be,” she added.
The opportunity Zamboanga has been training hard for is fast approaching. Though she is surrounded by great talent and numerous world champions, Zamboanga wants to carve her own path and make a name for herself in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
"I'm excited to showcase the skills I have been honing here," Zamboanga concluded.
"I want to make my mark in the world of martial arts, and I believe that this huge decision of moving to Thailand and training with the rest of the Fairtex team will help me achieve my goals. I will definitely give my best as my gratitude to my second family."