Denice Zamboanga wants in on ‘beautiful’ ONE 173 in Tokyo: “One of my favorite places in the world”

ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Denice Zamboanga has expressed a strong desire to make her first title defense at ONE 173 in Tokyo on November 16, citing her deep appreciation for Japan's martial arts culture and heritage.

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The Filipino warrior—who created history earlier this year by becoming the Philippines' first female MMA world champion—believes the promotion's grand return to "The Land of the Rising Sun" would provide the perfect platform to kick off her championship reign against any of the division's elite contenders.

"I hope, by God's will, I'll get the chance to compete at ONE 173 in Japan, a beautiful country that loves martial arts and reflects the values we stand for at ONE," Denice Zamboanga told Spin.ph.

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"It's the birthplace of MMA, and it's also one of my favorite places in the world," she declared, acknowledging Japan's foundational role in developing mixed martial arts while expressing genuine affection for the country.

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Currently, two fights are already locked in for ONE 173 later this year.

In the main event, divisional king Superbon and interim champ Masaaki Noiri lock horns in a ONE featherweight kickboxing world title unification showdown.

Before they trade leather, fans can expect a slugfest when ONE heavyweight MMA world champion 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane puts his coveted strap on the line in a rematch against two-division MMA kingpin Anatoly Malykhin.

Should Zamboanga's wish be granted, the T-Rex MMA affiliate will be back in action for the second time this year after a career-defining win to start her 2025 campaign in ONE Championship.

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'The Menace' finished Ukrainian contender Alyona Rassohyna in the dying seconds of the second stanza and walked away with 26 pounds of gold and a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Denice Zamboanga's record now stands at 12-2. Zamboanga currently enjoys a four-fight win streak against Lin Heqin, Julie Mezabarba, Noelle Grandjean, and Rassohyna.

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Denice Zamboanga shares what makes ONE Championship 'very special'

Denice Zamboanga has nothing but love for ONE Championship.

Besides being able to achieve her dreams on the global stage of the promotion, Zamboanga is a big fan of the organization's ability to put on an absolute martial arts showcase for fight fans.

"ONE Championship is very special because they don't just have mixed martial arts. They do have different kinds of combat sports, like Muay Thai, and they do have kickboxing," she told Carlo Perruza during an online interview.

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"Sometimes they do special rules like only boxing with small gloves on. It's so crazy. And then they also have grappling, like almost most of the combat sports over there. So it's entertaining."

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About the author James De Rozario James De Rozario is a sports journalist passionate about mixed martial arts, football, hockey, and F1.

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