Second-ranked contender Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga doesn’t see her friendship with Stamp Fairtex becoming a factor when she challenges her old pal for the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title.
5 world titles at stake
The two fierce atomweights feature in one of the five World Title bouts scheduled for the loaded ONE 166: Qatar card set for March 1 inside Lusail Sports Arena.
Zamboanga and Stamp built a good friendship together during the Filipina’s time at Fairtex Training Center, and she bared how their relationship endured even after moving to different camps.
“We still keep in touch right now. We always talk on social media. The friendship never stopped even after I left Fairtex,” she said.
That said, Zamboanga doesn’t expect either Stamp or herself to back down just because they’re friends.
The 27-year-old recalled their times sparring at the famed gym in Pattaya where they’d go all out even during training.
So imagine what will happen when they’re competing for the biggest prize in their division on one of the biggest ONE Championship cards ever.
Zamboanga, Fairtex trained together
“I don’t think we’d have problems competing against each other because back then when we trained together, when we’d spar, we really took it seriously. All the friendship goes out the window. But after that, all the happy moments are back,” she said.
“All I’m saying, back in training, we do it seriously, so imagine when we’re fighting for the belt. I think that friendship will have to be set aside and, after the match, we’re back to normal.”
Zamboanga further added that familiarity won’t play a factor in this match, noting how they’ve both changed for the better since she left Fairtex Training Center.
“There are a lot of factors in this fight. It’s been four years since we last trained together. She’s certainly improved a lot from that time as she’s been more active than me in the ring. She has Muay Thai, kickboxing, and also MMA, and her grappling has improved a lot,” she said.
“I’ve improved a lot as well. We both have advantages and disadvantages when we’re talking about familiarity with each other.”
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