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Stamp Fairtex and Denice Zamboanga. Handout/ONE Championship
MANILA -- ONE atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex praised her good friend, Denice Zamboaga, after the latter's impressive win at ONE 167 last week.
Zamboanga underscored her status as a contender for the world title with a comfortable victory over Noelle "Lil Monkey" Grandjean in their atomweight MMA clash at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, this past Saturday.
READ: Dominant Denice Zamboanga outclasses Noelle Grandjean at ONE 167
It was an impressive showing for Zamboanga, who brandished her improved striking and looked as good as advertised with her conditioning.
The only thing missing from the win was a finish, which Stamp had expected from the Filipina. Nonetheless, it was a strong statement from Zamboanga who had to re-formulate her game plan midway through training camp, after Fairtex pulled out from their title fight due to injury and was replaced by Grandjean.
READ: Stamp Fairtex out of ONE 167, Denice Zamboanga awaits new opponent
"Congratulations to you my dearest friend," Stamp said. "At first I thought this fight would end with a knockout because Denice has been training for quite a longtime."
Stamp was also impressed by Grandjean who, despite coming in on short notice and having just fought, gamely stood in front of Zamboanga and battled valiantly.
"Noelle only had two weeks to prepare and had just fought a few weeks before the fight. I admire [her] very much, and in this fight, Noelle did well," the champion said.
But Zamboanga's dominance was the story of the night and Stamp is looking forward to facing off against her friend once she is recovered from her injury.
"Denice, I will fight you soon," she vowed. "I'll try to recover quickly until my body returns to 100 percent and defend my belt in my next fight with you."
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