Filipino siblings Drex and Denice Zamboanga made their presence known in Asia’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion when both scored impressive finishes in the undercard of ONE: A New Breed in Bangkok, Thailand on Aug. 28.
The younger Denice easily defeated Thai national judo champion Watsapinya Kaewkhong via Americana arm lock in the very first round of their MMA bout.
After dominating the standup exchanges early, Denice took matters to the ground with a successful takedown. From there, she worked her way into side control, executing an arm lock shortly after to force the tap.
The 25-year-old Denice remains undefeated in her professional MMA career and also retained her status as the top-ranked women’s atomweight contender.
With her win, Denice hopes to face reigning ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee for the world belt anytime soon.
The older Dex made a successful ONE Championship debut, defeating Thailand’s Detchadin “Detchpool” Sornsirisuphathin by rear-naked choke submission in the second round.
Drex began the bout, inching forward behind complex boxing combinations and fast hands. Detchadin stood right in front of the Filipino star, willing to trade strikes at the center of the ONE circle.
The 31-year-old Filipino fighter continued his striking tirade in round two, mixing in a handful of takedowns for good measure. On the mat, He took his opponent’s back and executed a slick RNC, putting Detchadin to sleep just before the bell.
The Zamboanga siblings along with their Filipino trainer have been in Thailand for training due to the pandemic restrictions in the Philippines.
Before the Aug. 28 bouts, the siblings claimed they were ready to bring fireworks to millions of MMA fans.
“This is also the first time I will perform in such a huge event with no audience. I’m inspired by the thought of my family back home watching me fight. This gives me extra motivation to put together my best performance. In fact, millions of fans around the world will be watching, so I have to showcase my skills and give it my all,” the older Zamboanga said. – Harley F. Palangchao
April 25, 2024
