Denice Zamboanga Takes Swipe At Angela Lee Anew Ahead Of Grand Prix Debut

Filipina fighter Denice Zamboanga has made it abundantly clear that she is not afraid to speak her mind, especially when it comes to ONE Championship's reigning atomweight queen Angela Lee.

The two athletes have elected not to hide their mutual enmity, railing one another on social media on various occasions.

ONE Championship held its virtual media day on Tuesday, August 31 in Singapore, at which Zamboanga elected to take another not-so-subtle verbal jab at Lee.

“Angela who? It doesn’t bother me. She is not on the card. I think she still needs to chill and see what happens,” said the 24-year-old Zamboanga. “That’s it.”

Zamboanga will take on Seo Hee Ham on Friday, September 3, live at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The Filipina is among the eight athletes who will compete in the highly-anticipated ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix.

Ham represents the toughest task to date for Zamboanga, who remains undefeated through her first eight professional bouts.

The South Korean, meanwhile, is a 31-fight veteran who has fought around the world for the UFC, Rizin and Road FC, among other promotions.

The Busan, South Korea native has racked up 23 professional MMA victories, including four knockouts and three submissions, earning a reputation around the world as a notoriously tough heroine.

Lee recently explained that due to Ham’s veteran savvy and impressive resumé, she believes the fight would mark the first defeat of Zamboanga’s career.

Of course, this comment was not taken lightly by the Filipina vixen.

“I really think the champ needs to relax and stay calm. She is going to see that I’m going to prove her wrong,” said the visibly perturbed Zamboanga.

“We’re the ones who are training, we can never say what will happen on September 3rd. I think she just needs to relax and watch what we’re going to show [her].”

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong echoed his plans to award the World Grand Prix winner with a title shot, meaning a chance to take out Lee.

For Zamboanga to capture her desired bout agreement, she will need to win as an underdog against Ham and then win two more fights.

This comes with the caveat that a single loss means a major setback in terms of title contention, a higher pressure game with potentially life-changing stakes.

Despite her young age and relative inexperience, Zamboanga relishes the opportunity to compete as the underdog--a familiar spot for the “Lycan Queen.”

“It’s really good for me. It works to my advantage because it keeps me motivated, especially when a lot of people underestimate me. So I’ll just do my work and prove them wrong,” she stated.

“I have always been the underdog who wins her fights.”