By:  | June 20, 2023 11:40 am

Denice Zamboanga must know by now that her last opponent failed a drug test. It makes her decision win over Julie Mezabarba at ONE Fight Night 11 all the more impressive but the Filipina doesn’t appear to be giving it much thought.

After several years living and training in Thailand she is back in the Philippines. She shared a photo of herself enjoying a relaxing break at the famous hot springs in Los Banos:

Steamy pics

The heat comes from the nearby Mount Makiling which is a dormant volcano edged between Laguna and Batangas. It helps to warm the water in the famous hot springs, which attract tourists from all over the Philippines and beyond.

These pics Zamboanga is sharing are pretty steamy too. Her impressive physique appears to have been achieved through a mixture of exercise and dieting, which is more than can be said for her most recent opponent.

She is up to #3 in the atomweight rankings after the win over Mezabarba in Bangkok. The only three fighters ahead of Zamboanga are reigning champion Angela Lee, Stamp Fairtex and Seo Hee Ham.

Interim title

Stamp and Ham will be facing off in an interim atomweight title fight. That match does not currently have a date or location confirmed although all signs point to the ONE Fight Night 14 card on September 1st.

Filipino fans will remember that Zamboanga was promised a title shot against Lee at the start of 2020. It never materialized because with shows being cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19 the champion announced she was pregnant that year.

Instead Zamboanga found herself competing in the atomweight Grand Prix. She was very unfortunate to drop a split decision to Seo Hee Ham in the opening round of that tournament, after a three round fight that almost everyone thought she won.

Zamboanga was well beaten by the former Rizin and Road FC champion in the rematch. But with two decision wins in the last six months she has regained a lot of the momentum she lost when Ham handed her the first, and only, losses of her career.

Zamboanga will be watching with interest when Stamp takes on Ham. With Angela Lee likely to retire she is probably next in line for a shot at the newly crowned interim champion.