The Denice Zamboanga-Ayaka Miura bout at ONE 173 is a no-go, after the Filipina MMA champion withdrew from the match.
Filipina fighter Denice Zamboanga is backing out of her ONE women's atomweight MMA world title defense against Japanese star Ayaka Miura, citing a medical issue.
The undisputed champion announced the unfortunate news on social media Thursday, August 28.
The TREX MMA ace was supposed stake her belt against Miura in the ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on November 16 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
But undisclosed medical reasons forced her to pull out.
“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,” she said in an Instagram post.
“It is heartbreaking for me to pull out of this match, and I want to sincerely apologize to my opponent Ayaka, to ONE Championship, to my sponsors, and to all the fans and supporters who were anticipating this bout.”
In the same post, the fighter dubbed as “The Menace” expressed her frustration over withdrawing from the match she had “deeply wanted to give to the fans.”
“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,” she said.
“This was a fight I have been preparing for and one I deeply wanted to give to the fans.”
Zamboanga initially secured the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship with a second-round TKO victory against Alyona Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27 in January.
The Filipina was later raised as undisputed champion, after former titleholder Stamp Fairtex gave up the belt.
The fight against Ayaka was supposed to be Zamboanga's first title defense.
But this isn’t the end for the 28-year-old martial artist as she vowed to return from this ordeal stronger and better.
“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,” she said.
“I am forever grateful to ONE Championship for always believing in me, and to all of you who stand by me through the highs and the lows. This is not the end. I will return stronger and hungrier than ever.”