Denice Zamboanga may not be fighting for the World Title in her next bout, but she will still be able to showcase her skills in the Circle for fans who are eagerly awaiting her return to action.

Following an injury that forced Stamp Fairtex out of their World Title matchup at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut II on Friday, June 7, Thai-French fighter Noelle “Li’l Monkey” Grandjean is stepping up to face “The Menace” in an atomweight MMA clash inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Denice Zamboanga gets a new opponent instead of Stamp Fairtex

It is the second time that Zamboanga has missed out on a World Title opportunity.

Upon her arrival in 2020, the Filipina racked off three straight victories that led to her being named the next challenger for then-divisional queen Angela Lee’s ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship. 

However, “Unstoppable” announced shortly after that she would step away from competition to prepare for motherhood. 

Instead, Zamboanga competed in the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Grand Prix, where she was one of the favorites to win the tournament and rightfully challenge Lee for the prestigious strap. 

Unfortunately, she would suffer a controversial loss to Ham Seo Hee in the first round of the tournament. A rematch between the two women at ONE X in March 2022 was a more decisive win for the South Korean veteran, which pushed Zamboanga further off the divisional rankings.

Now riding a two-fight win streak, the T-Rex MMA representative has worked her way back up to another shot at gold, but is again denied by an untimely injury. 

Well aware of how much a loss could push her away from her goal of reigning atop the division, expect Zamboanga to do everything in her power to pick up an all-important win against a short-notice opponent in Grandjean.

Who is the “Li’l Monkey”?

A second-generation fighter, the 28-year-old is well-versed in judo and kickboxing skills thanks to her father, who is a coach and a former professional fighter himself. 

The Tiger Muay Thai product has since added Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to her arsenal and collected a pristine 5-0 record before joining the world’s largest martial arts organization in 2022. 

Against elite competition in ONE, “Li’l Monkey” has yet to string wins together, going 2-2 in four exciting battles, most recently absorbing a heartbreaking loss to the undefeated Chihiro Sawada at ONE Fight Night 22 earlier this month. 

A bounce-back win against the originally scheduled main event fighter will surely make a huge statement for Grandjean, and could potentially vault her into the divisional rankings instantly. 

Expect a tough battle between these two competitors who are hungry for an important win at ONE 167.