Denice Zamboanga itching to fight Angela Lee but won’t hesitate to fight someone else again

Filipina atomweight contender Denice Zamboanga is itching to face Angela Lee but she would not think twice to fight someone else again if given the opportunity.

The number one contender from the Philippines is next to face ONE women’s atomweight world title Lee but took a detour against Watsapinya Kaewkhong last August at ONE: A New Breed where she won via first-round submission.

Zamboanga’s showdown with Lee has been delayed due to the pandemic. Her last outing was a huge risk to say the least as a loss could jeopardize her contender status. But instead of waiting around, the Filipina MMA fighter chose to remain active in competition.

“Once the world goes back to normal, I think I’m ready to face Angela. She’s my idol,” said Zamboanga.

“But if the situation stays like this for some time, and if ONE Championship is giving me the chance to fight again, then I’ll take another fight.”

Zamboanga realizes she cannot afford to lose until she gets in the cage with Lee. As for her last outing, even the Filipina was surprised at how she grabbed the victory with ease.

“She (Watsapinya) had good control, but I think I was just able to overpower her. Of course, I couldn’t afford to lose that fight. My goal was to get the win and nothing else,” she said.

“I didn’t expect to submit her so easily, by Americana no less. I wanted to strike with her, that’s what I was planning to do. But the submission was there, so I took the chance and I got the win. That’s the important thing.”

Her brother Drex made his ONE Championship debut that same night against Thai striker Detchadin Sornsirisuphathin. Just like Denice, Drex emerged victorious after he put his foe to sleep with a rear-naked choke in round two.

And even though Zamboanga risked everything that night, she admits that she was more nervous for her brother making his debut on the big stage.

“To be honest, I was more on edge watching my brother fight more than I was nervous for mine,” she admitted.

“That was his ONE Championship debut, so he really needed to win. I’m glad we were both able to win. This night was a milestone in our careers.” – JM Siasat/RC, GMA News