ONE fighter Denice Zamboanga. ONE Championship photo
MANILA, Philippines–After years of plying her trade in ONE Championship, Filipino bet Denice Zamboanga finally gets in front of her home crowd when she takes on Lin Heqin at ONE Fight Night 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin at Mall of Asia Arena on December 3.
The third-ranked atomweight contender was the first local fighter announced for ONE Fight Night 5–the first of two shows in ONE’s return to the Philippines, with the ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks being the other.
“I’m very happy. This is very special for me and for my whole family. It will be my first time to fight here in Manila for ONE, and I’m truly honored to perform and fight in front of my countrymen,” Zamboanga said.
The 25-year-old will have her work cut out for her against Lin, who’s raring to bounce back after a close decision loss to Itsuki Hirata in August and prove that she belongs among the atomweight elite.
Zamboanga, who recently parted ways with Thailand-based gym Marrok Force is likewise looking to return to winning ways after being outlasted by Seo Hee Ham in March.
“For me, nothing compares to the feeling of hearing the cheers of my fellow Filipinos in Manila,” Zamboanga said. “That’s why I’ll do my best to make sure their tickets are worth it.”
Zamboanga is now training fulltime in the Philippines with her brother Drex at T-Rex MMA.