Denice Zamboanga has spoken out after a replacement opponent was found for the injured Stamp Fairtex. “The Menace” was originally slated to challenge the Thai megastar for the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on June 7, but she will instead face Noelle Grandjean in a non-title affair.
Stamp is unable to make the walk at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, due to a serious knee injury suffered in training just last week.
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Enter Grandjean, the ultra-tough French Thai standout who has split her four appearances on the global stage with ONE so far. While losing her World Title opportunity will no doubt come as a blow to Zamboanga, she can further cement her place at #2 in the women’s atomweight MMA rankings if she can get the job done against her new foe.
Denice Zamboanga didn’t want her training to go to waste
Denice Zamboanga is in good spirits after the announcement that her next fight will be against Noelle Grandjean, who is replacing Stamp Fairtex at ONE 167.
Taking to her Instagram page, the Filipina star noted that she is simply excited to get back to work after more than a year away from competition. “Let’s pray for a fast recovery for our champ,” she wrote.
Speaking to Sportsmanor in an exclusive interview, Denice Zamboanga reflected on her decision to accept the offer on less than two weeks’ notice and revealed how the match-up came to fruition. For those unaware, Denice and Noelle have trained with each other in the past, and the former believes Grandjean’s judo throws are something to look out for, ahead of ONE 167.
“We were preparing since last year, so yeah, I am a bit disappointed but I am still grateful that ONE Championship found a replacement.” She further continued, “The hungriness is still there and i want to prove myself that this fight, I want to show the fans that I will dominate this fight and that I am deserving to fight for the Championship.”
“I accepted the fight because I didnt want to waste my training camp, my entire training and I want to stay active.”
Zamboanga has fought a swathe of the women’s Atomweight MMA elite since making her ONE debut in
2019. The 27-year-old is riding a two-fight win streak, with her most recent victory coming by unanimous
decision over Brazil’s Julie Mezabarba at ONE Fight Night 9 in April 2023.