Reigning ONE Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex believes it’s just right for ranked No. 2 Denice Zamboanga to get her shot at gold this time.
This comes after the top-ranked Ham Seo Hee questioned whether Zamboanga and Alyona Rassohyna deserved to be in the interim World Title picture after the pair was scheduled to compete at ONE Fight Night 25. Unfortunately, “The Menace’s” hamstring injury scrapped that fight altogether.
Still, Stamp believes that it’s just right for Zamboanga to get her opportunity this time, especially with how hard she’s worked for it even after multiple setbacks.
“I saw [Ham Seo Hee’s] Instagram post. I agree with some of Ham’s points, but I also agree with some of the points from Denice. Because [Ham] already had the chance to fight with me already, there has to be a next one to have a chance to fight with me,” Stamp told Sportskeeda.
Zamboanga has long been a staple in the division, and she would’ve already gotten her shot at gold against then-divisional queen Angela Lee, if the pandemic didn’t throw a spanner in the works.
Soon after, things snowballed on Zamboanga’s hopes for a World Title shot – as she lost to Ham twice, before having to claw her way back into the race for the division’s prized possession.
Back to back wins over the tough Lin Heqin and Julie Mezabarba put her on the brink of what seemed like a surefire ticket to her first five-round scrap on the global stage. But, this time, it was Stamp who got injured as she tore her left meniscus just weeks out of their scheduled headliner showdown at ONE 167.
Zamboanga powered through and gamely took on Noelle Grandjean to keep a stronghold on contendership, but her own injury once again pushed back her shot at glory. Still, the Filipina remains undeterred even after all the bad luck and missteps she’s traversed.
“I’m ready to prove myself again. I won’t let this chance slip through my fingers,” Zamboanga said.
