But moments after beating Yamaguchi at ONE: King of the Jungle on Friday, February 28, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Zamboanga received the biggest news of her young career – she got the World Title shot she was hoping for.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was so impressed with the Filipina’s performance that he immediately let Zamboanga know of the news through Mitch Chilson in the post-match interview.
Even “The Menace Fairtex” could not believe what she was hearing.
“I don’t know what to say,” Zamboanga responded as she held back tears.
“I know this is just my second bout, but I fought against a big opponent, a top opponent, and I’m just happy to get that opportunity this early.”
It was not surprising to see Zamboanga get the World Title shot, especially after stepping up to face the Japanese veteran.
Just late last year, the Filipina made her promotional debut against Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan, and while she ended up victorious, many still felt like she was biting off more than she can chew against Yamaguchi.
That was not the case.
Though she felt Yamaguchi’s trademark wrestling pressure, Zamboanga more than stood her ground as she stuffed most of her foe’s takedown attempts.
This allowed her to showcase her world-class striking against “V.V,” something she leaned on for the rest of the match.
After three five-minute rounds, Zamboanga was satisfied with how she fared against Yamaguchi.
“I think I was able to show how good of a striker I am. I wasn’t able to show that before. I also believed that my hydration was a lot better as I was able to recover well,” she said.
“I’m just happy that all my hard work in training paid off.”
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