Denice Zamboanga and Ham Seo Hee await the decision after their atomweight fight in ONE: Empower.
MANILA, Philippines—Denice Zamboanga suffered a controversial split decision loss to South Korea’s Ham Seo-hee in the quarterfinals of the ONE Atomweight Grand Prix Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
While being the aggressor, Zamboanga had her advances stopped as Ham resorted to counter punching that were more deterrent than punishing.
Zamboanga, ranked No. 1 in her weightclass, then shot for a takedown midway through the third round but she and Ham accidentally collided heads leading to nasty gash on the Filipino’s forehead.
Seo Hee Ham 🇰🇷 SHOCKS Denice Zamboanga by split decision to make the World Grand Prix semifinals! Do YOU agree with the decision? 🧐 #ONEEmpower #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/6yFBh99GMl
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 3, 2021
After the stoppage, though, Zamboanga planted Ham to the ground with a big takedown and held control until the final bell.
This was Zamboanga’s first loss of her professional career as the Filipino fighter slid to 8-1 while Ham, 24-8, notched her seventh straight win and her first in ONE Championship.