Denice Zamboanga’s first challenger to her ONE women’s atomweight crown will have home court advantage as she faces Japan’s Ayaka Miura.
Denice Zamboanga’s first-ever title defense will come at an added challenge as she faces a hometown bet in Ayaka Miura as she attempts to keep her ONE women’s atomweight crown at ONE 173: Superbon vs Noiri on November 16 in Tokyo.
Having inherited the title of undisputed champion following Stamp Fairtex’ injury, Zamboanga will have a lot to prove against Miura.
Formerly challenging for the strawweight crown in ONE Championshp, Miura is currently on a tear that earned her the shot at Zamboanga’s title. Considering extensive material on her submission game, Miura is hoping to win the battle on strikes.
“I believe Zamboanga will come in with a solid ground defense strategy and try to turn it into a striking battle. Whether it's on the feet or on the ground—even if the fight gets messy—I'll do whatever it takes to win," she said.
Like Zamboanga, Miura is presented with a similar opportunity — to become her country’s first-ever women’s MMA champion in the Singapore promotion.
Fighting in what she expects to be a rowdy stadium later this year, Miura is hoping to get into the Filipina fighter’s head and gain every advantage she can to deny the Quezon City native a successful first title defense.
"I'm truly happy to be able to fight in a world title match here in Japan, where I was born and raised—and especially grateful for the surprise announcement from CEO Chatri [Sityodtong]. I believe there's meaning behind being given this opportunity. I will become the first Japanese woman to win a ONE Championship belt, and I'll do it right here in Japan," said Miura.
“I believe the fact that I was given this title shot in Japan means it's my time to win. I used to think the location didn't matter, but now that I've been given this chance in Japan, I truly feel this is the moment I'm meant to take the belt," she added.
Having been presented with a similar shot previously at the strawweight division and failing to bring home the hardware, Miura is optimistic that the time is now, especially since Japanese fighters have recently hit their stride — including current ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya Wakamatsu.
"Having a world title match prepared for me on a Japan card—I truly feel this is a big opportunity. I will seize it without fail. I wasn't able to get the strawweight title before, but this time, I'll get what I left behind. I'll prove the strength of Japanese fighters by winning the belt on home soil,” she said.
It will be a tough assigment for Miura and Wakamatsu though, as they will have to survive the challenge of not one, but two Filipino fighters in Zamboanga, and flyweight challenger Joshua Pacio.
Pacio is currently holding the strawweight crown but is aiming to be the country’s first-ever two-division world champion in ONE.