It’s fair to say that the trajectory of Philippine MMA in ONE Championship next year will rest on the shoulders of two great fighters who’ll be competing in the first two major shows for the promotion.
Luckily for the Pinoy fight fans, they’re going to be placing their trust in two of the best athletes in the country today.
Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga opens the year with her long-awaited shot at ONE gold when she faces Alyonna Rassohyna for the ONE Interim Atomweight MMA World Title at ONE Fight Night 27 on January 11, 2025, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Then a little over a month later, divisional king Joshua “The Passion” Pacio battles interim titleholder Jarred Brooks to unify the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title at ONE 171: Qatar inside Lusail Sports Arena on February 20.
“Beating Jarred and keeping that belt in the Philippines is of utmost importance,” Pacio said.
“I don’t like predicting but this will be really explosive. No one’s going to back down from this fight because I don’t expect him to.”
Not long ago, the Philippines was the premier nation for MMA in ONE. In fact, in 2018 the country simultaneously held ONE World Titles across multiple divisions. Now Pacio’s the only remaining ONE World Champion from the Philippines entering his fight against Brooks, unless Zamboanga changes that a month before.
While Pacio is out to retain, Zamboanga looks to join an exclusive list of Filipino World Champions – a goal she’s been eyeing for four years now. Now she gets the chance to do so in celebration of her 28th birthday as well.
“It’s going to be a big deal for me if I start the year with a win,” she said.
“I’m also gonna be celebrating my birthday this January as well, so I truly want to celebrate my birthday with a World Title.”
A win for both fighters will certainly be a big boost for Philippine MMA, which saw a renaissance in 2024 after a quiet 2023.
The year gave us the rise of Lito Adiwang in the strawweight division. Then, new faces like Marwin Quirante and Eros Baluyot made names for themselves in the ONE Friday Fights circuit, alongside veterans Carlos Alvarez and Fritz Biagtan.
