Denice “The Menace Fairtex” Zamboanga is confident heading into her second appearance in ONE Championship.
Speaking to ONEFC.com ahead of her match-up with Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi at ONE: King of the Jungle, the young Filipina already has plans for if she hurdles the Japanese veteran.
“I believe that this match could be a stepping stone to get me closer to a World Title shot. If I lost, it would be against a huge contender, and if I win, the rewards could be enormous. I have everything to gain and nothing to lose, and I’m not planning to lose in any way,” Zamboanga said.
“If I can beat Mei, I will call out Angela Lee.”
Familiarity will be the key for Zamboanga when she battles Yamaguchi in one of the highly-anticipated bouts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on February 28.
After all, her Fairtex teammate – Jenny “Lady GoGo” Huang – has faced Yamaguchi twice, and “The Menace Fairtex” has been picking the brains of the grappling wizard from Taipei for advice.
“I’ve watched Mei’s matches. She’s fought Jenny (Huang) twice, and I spar with Jenny a lot now that she trains here [at the Fairtex training center in Pattaya]. I feel like I can go toe-to-toe with her,” Zamboanga said.
“She’s really good on the ground, and her wrestling is superb. I need to maintain my distance and really assert my striking so that I can show a different side of my skills to everyone.”
When asked for an assessment of her upcoming match, Zamboanga believes she is more than equipped to take on Yamaguchi, who has made a name for herself through her wrestling.
The Thailand-based Filipina showed that she is no pushover on the ground in her victorious debut against Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan. The win also gave her the necessary confidence she will need when she takes on her Japanese foe.
“I think I have the advantage in striking and my takedown defense is good,” Zamboanga said.
“I think my reach will be an advantage, and I think I can also take her down. I think I will be able to defend her grappling and maintain control on top if we’re on the ground, just like what I did against Jihin.”
On 28 February, ONE Championship returns to the Lion City for ONE: King of the Jungle at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Aside from Zamboanga, two of the Philippines’ very best will take the spotlight as Honorio “The Rock” Banario battles Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai, while Mark “Tyson” Fairtex Abelardo takes on “Pretty Boy” Troy Worthen.
The lead card begins at 5:30 PHT on ONE’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts, or the ONE Super App.
The main card starts at 8:30 PHT on ABS CBN S+A.
