CITING medical reasons, undisputed ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion, Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga, has withdrawn from her scheduled World Title defense against Ayaka “Zombie” Miura.
The 28-year-old fighter from Quezon City, Philippines, announced the news on social media on Thursday.
Zamboanga was set to defend her title for the first time against the Japanese star at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri, which will take place on Sunday, November 16, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
The Filipina wrote on her social media accounts:
“I was truly excited to defend my belt at ONE 173 against Ayaka. I know how strong and talented she is, and I was looking forward to testing myself against such a worthy challenger. This was a fight I have been preparing for and one I deeply wanted to give to the fans. Writing this makes my heart break. It is hard, and it only gets harder each day.
“Unfortunately, due to medical reasons, I am unable to step into the Circle this time. It is heartbreaking for me to pull out of this match, and I want to sincerely apologize to Ayaka, to ONE Championship, and to all the fans who were anticipating this bout.
“This sport means everything to me, and I promise I am fully committed to coming back stronger. My passion for fighting has not changed, and I will continue to work hard so that I can once again represent ONE at the highest level when I return.”
Zamboanga captured the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title with a second-round TKO victory over Ukrainian contender Alyona Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27 this past January.
She was later elevated to undisputed status when former titleholder Stamp Fairtex relinquished the belt in May.
Miura, on the other hand, earned her shot at the gold on the strength of a five-bout winning streak.
Zamboanga also sent a message to Miura, via ONE Championship PR. She said:
“I was truly excited to defend my belt against you at ONE 173. I know how strong and talented you are, which makes this even more heartbreaking for me. I sincerely apologize that I cannot compete this time due to medical reasons, and I hope we can share the Circle in the future.”
Zamboanga has not specified a timetable for her return, but she is expected to make a full recovery.
Despite the news, ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri remains one of the most stacked events in ONE Championship history, and Filipinos can still look forward to seeing one of their own competing inside the Circle.
That evening, ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio will take on ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu for a chance to reach double-champ status.
Fans can visit https://www.onefc.com/events/one173/
