ONE 167: Denice Zamboanga dominates Noelle Grandjean


Denice Zamboanga triumphs in ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II. –ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Denice Zamboanga put on a clinic in ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday.

Zamboanga reigned victorious over Noelle Grandjean via unanimous decision in what turned out to be a masterclass outing for the Filipino striker.

In what was supposed to be her coming out party for the ONE Atomweight Championship, Zamboanga vented her ire on Grandjean with a flurry of strikes that damaged her Thai-French judoka.

READ: ONE: It’s Denice Zamboanga’s time, says Joshua Pacio

In the early parts of the fight, Zamboanga kept catching Grandjean with concise hits in the head, resulting in an early-fight damage in the form of a swollen right eye.

With Grandjean’s vision slightly compromised, Zamboanga took advantage and landed even more strikes.

Grandjean had glimpses of chances over Zamboanga when she took the fight to the ground but even then, the T-Rex MMA fighter found counters to avoid submission grapples.

READ: ONE: Denice Zamboanga gets elusive title shot vs Stamp Fairtex

The victory was Zamboanga’s third straight win. She improved to a 11-2 record in ONE Championship.

Prior to ONE 167, Zamboanga was supposed to face division champion Stamp Tairfex for the atomweight crown but the Thailand-based fighter suffered a torn meniscus three weeks ago.

Now with another dominant win under her belt, Zamboanga left no doubt that she deserves the Tairfex match once she returns from injury.

In the main event, ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK. Saenchai defeated Jo Nattawut via majority decision to keep the crown in his waist.