Denice “The Menace Fairtex” Zamboanga is thrilled to be part of the ONE Championship promotion.
After all, she has sacrificed a lot to become the fighter that she is now.
Zamboanga was born and raised in Quezon City and her older brother, Drex, taught her and her three sisters the art of self-defense.
Drex is a karate black belt and champion who transitioned to mixed martial arts in 2013. Since making his debut, he has competed in Japan, South Korea, and his native Philippines.
When Zamboanga was 17-years-old, she trained in karate and proved to be quite adept to the martial art.
“I competed in some competitions in karate and kept winning. But in my last fight in karate, I lost by knockout—I got kicked in the face and lost consciousness. After that, I told myself that I will never lose a fight ever again.”
Zamboanga would live up to those words in next phase of her martial arts career move.
In 2017, Zamboanga’s brother received a call from a local promoter asking if he knew a girl who was willing to engage in a mixed martial arts contest.
Drex immediately turned to his little sister.
“He told me to do it, and that he would train me,” she recalls.
“The Menace Fairtex,” as Zamboanga would later be called, won her pro debut in January 2017 via knockout in 44 seconds.
Zamboanga was so enthralled with her new martial arts career path that she abandoned her childhood dreams of becoming a doctor to pursue an Information Technology degree from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
After earning her degree, Zamboanga found a job in a government agency— and later, in a non-government organization—and earned a regular paycheck.
However, her thirst for competition only grew stronger. This thirst was finally rewarded when she was accepted by ONE Championship.