Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga painted a positive picture of Noelle “Lil Monkey” Grandjean ahead of their unexpected atomweight MMA clash at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II this Saturday, 8 June, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
As fate would have it, Zamboanga’s original opponent in ONE Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex withdrew from their bout two weeks ago after tearing her meniscus, and now another of Zamboanga’s former training partners has filled in for the Thai megastar.
While Zamboanga isn’t as close to Grandjean as she is to Stamp, the Filipina recalled her friendship with the French-Thai judoka during their stint at Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya.
“Training with Noelle at Fairtex was a great experience,” she said.
“We were more like professional training partners back then. We talked, but we weren’t as close as I am with Stamp Fairtex. Despite that, I have a lot of respect for her.”
The 26-year-old had nothing bad to say about “Lil Monkey,” who she praised for always staying ready for opportunities like this one. In fact, “The Menace” recalled all the intense training sessions they had together, so she knows she can’t look past Grandjean.
“She’s a really good fighter and one thing I admire is that she doesn’t need to lose a lot of weight in every camp,” Zamboanga said.
“Our intense sparring sessions and mutual encouragement are good memories that motivate me now.”
Zamboanga’s been doing everything to stay on top of things, but aside from the physical aspect of her preparations, she also understands the value of being emotionally and mentally prepared.
“Managing emotions in this situation is crucial. I stay focused by reminding myself of my goals and the hard work I’ve put in,” she said.
“Meditation and visualization techniques help me stay calm and centered. I trust my training and my team to guide me through any unexpected changes.”
