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MMA: Zamboanga ready to set aside friendship with Stamp in world title fight

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Filipina MMA fighter Denice " The="" Zamboanga.="" Handout="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2024/life/01/23/012324_mma_denice-zamboanga_ho.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipina MMA fighter Denice &quot;The Menace&quot; Zamboanga. Handout/ONE Championship.</figcaption></figure></div> MANILA -- Filipina MMA fighter Denice &quot;The Menace&quot; Zamboanga is well aware of how difficult her upcoming bout against Stamp Fairtex will be. This, as she and Fairtex trained together for years at the Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand in the early goings of their professional careers.But Zamboanga is the first to say that things have changed since the last time they shared the mat, and she is certain that those differences will be in full display when she challenges Fairtex for the ONE women&#x27;s atomweight MMA world championship at ONE 166: Qatar at the Lusail Sports Arena on March 1.&quot;Four years na kami since huli kaming nag-training, so ang tagal na noon,&quot; said Zamboanga. Since leaving the Fairtex Training Center, the Filipina contender has gone on a journey of her own, first with Marrok Force MMA and now with his brother’s T-Rex MMA stable.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/16/24/zamboanga-to-challenge-stamp-fairtex-for-atomweight-title">MMA: Denice Zamboanga to challenge Stamp Fairtex for atomweight title</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/22/24/zamboanga-hopes-to-add-one-world-title-to-teams-collection">MMA: Denice Zamboanga hopes to add ONE world title to team&#x27;s trophy case</a></li></ul>Fairtex, for her part, has also grown by leaps and bounds as a fighter, something that Zamboanga acknowledges.&quot;Ang dami nang improvement yung nangyari sa kanya. Tapos mas active pa siya sa akin when it comes to fighting. She knows Muay Thai, kickboxing, and also MMA, so mas ini-improve niya yung grappling niya,&quot; said Zamboanga. As much as she respects Fairtex and considers her a friend, Zamboanga vows to put that aside once she enters the cage.&quot;Until now, kausap ko pa rin siya sa social media. Di nawawala yung friendship namin sa isa’t isa. Before nung nagte-training kami, training talaga and pag sparring, seryosong sparring talaga. Pero after that, may happy moments kami,&quot; she said.&quot;Siguro ganun din sa fight, na mase-set aside namin yung friendship and I think after the fight, yung normal na namin, ganoon ulit,&quot; she added.The Stamp-Zamboanga showdown is one of four world championship bouts announced for the Qatar card.Aside from their match, the ONE 166 card will also feature a showdown between Joshua &quot;The Passion&quot; Pacio and Jarred &quot;The Monkey God&quot; Brooks for the ONE strawweight MMA world championship.ONE Middleweight MMA World Champion Reinier &quot;The Dutch Knight&quot; de Ridder defends his belt against former tormentor and two-division MMA World Champ Anatoly &quot;Sladkiy&quot; Malykhin.ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai and interim king Thanh Le will unify belts. FROM THE ARCHIVES<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1641184" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Filipina MMA fighter Denice 'The Menace' Zamboanga is well aware of how difficult her upcoming bout against Stamp Fairtex will be. 