The groundbreaking ONE: Empower card of the world’s largest martial arts organization in September 2021 saw a stacked all women’s event that featured a world title bout and the kickoff of the Atomweight MMA World Grand Prix Quarterfinal.
In one of the Grand Prix bouts, South Korean star Ham Seo Hee and Filipina slugger Denice Zamboanga fought in a tightly contested match that ended in a debatable result.
The judges’ scorecards favored Ham with a razor-thin split decision victory, which sparked controversy among fans and prompted the competition committee to review the fight.
After the said review, the 14-man panel stood by its decision that Ham won the fight against Zamboanga. Even after the review, fans were still not satisfied, which is why the promotion booked an immediate rematch between the two.
Six months later, in March 2022, at ONE X, Ham Seo Hee and Denice Zamboanga‘s rivalry was renewed in a second fight, and the former left no doubt against the latter with a decisive unanimous decision victory. The full fight video was posted on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel on September 7, 2023, with the caption:
“Ahead of South Korean star Ham Seo Hee’s highly anticipated ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title clash with Thai fan favorite Stamp Fairtex on September 29, relive her heated rematch with Filipina sensation Denice Zamboanga in 2022!“
‘Hamzzang’ became more aggressive throughout the fight by pressing forward and forcing the action against ‘The Menace.’ Ham also employed more combinations on the feet to inflict damage on Zamboanga.
The 36-year-old sustained a few takedowns from the 26-year-old, especially in the opening round. But she was able to counter them with submission threats and reversals.
In the second round, Ham was able to return the favor in the grappling battle by controlling the majority of the round on top and pouring in the ground and pound to add more damage to Zamboanga.
The MMA veteran delivered the finishing touch in the final round by ending the match with another dominant ground-and-pound assault that left visible damage on the Filipina’s face with bruises, cuts, and swelling.
That imposing win earned Ham the shot for the ONE interim atomweight world title against Stamp Fairtex on September 29 at ONE Fight Night 14.
