Denice Zamboanga forced out of first ONE World Title defense: “It is heartbreaking”

Denice Zamboanga suffered a crushing blow to her championship plans when medical issues forced her withdrawal from ONE 173. She must postpone her first title defense against Ayaka Miura due to health concerns beyond her control.

Zamboanga was scheduled to defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title against Miura at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on November 16 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The 28-year-old Filipina announced her withdrawal via social media Thursday evening.

Zamboanga captured interim gold with a second-round TKO victory over Alyona Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27 in January. She earned undisputed status four months later when former champion Stamp Fairtex relinquished the title.

The timing creates additional disappointment since Miura would have challenged for her first ONE Championship gold in front of Japanese fans. The submission specialist earned her opportunity through an impressive five-fight winning streak that positioned her as the division’s top contender.

Medical issues prevented Zamboanga from providing a specific timeline for her return to competition. The champion expressed commitment to coming back stronger once she fully recovers from her current health problems.

Her withdrawal announcement included heartfelt apologies to multiple parties affected by the decision. Zamboanga acknowledged the significance of disappointing her opponent, ONE Championship, and the global fan base anticipating their collision.

“Unfortunately, due to medical reasons, I am unable to step into the Circle this time. It is heartbreaking for me to pull out of this match, and I want to sincerely apologize to Ayaka, to ONE Championship, and to all the fans who were anticipating this bout,” Zamboanga said.

Denice Zamboanga issues personal apology to Ayaka Miura

Denice Zamboanga drafted a separate message specifically addressing her scheduled opponent. She recognized Ayaka Miura’s talent while expressing genuine disappointment about missing their anticipated showdown.

ONE 173 remains stacked despite losing the atomweight title fight. The card features Superbon defending his featherweight kickboxing title against interim champion Masaaki Noiri in the main event.

Additional championship action includes Joshua Pacio challenging Yuya Wakamatsu for flyweight MMA gold while “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane rematches Anatoly Malykhin for heavyweight supremacy.

“I was truly excited to defend my belt against you at ONE 173. I know how strong and talented you are, which makes this even more heartbreaking for me,” she said.