Filipina mixed martial arts pioneer Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga has officially relinquished her ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship to dedicate her time to motherhood.
The history-making athlete shared the announcement on social media Tuesday, following the birth of her first child with her husband, fellow mixed martial artist Fritz “Kid Tornado” Biagtan.
Zamboanga explained that she chose to step down to keep the atomweight division moving forward, ensuring other active contenders get their shot at the gold while she steps away from the cage.
“God has always had a beautiful plan for my life, and I trust His timing in everything. After much prayer and reflection, I have made the difficult decision to vacate my ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship,” Zamboanga wrote.
“This was not an easy choice, but I believe it is the right one for this season of my life and for the athletes in my division who continue to chase their dreams,” she added.
The 29-year-old Quezon City native pauses her combat sports career with a stellar professional record of 12-2, including a strong 7-2 run within ONE Championship.
Zamboanga burst onto the global stage after signing with the promotion in 2019, quickly putting the division on notice with dominant wins over veterans Jihin Radzuan, Mei Yamaguchi, and Watsapinya Kaewkhong.
While she hit a brief rough patch with back-to-back losses against South Korea’s Ham Seo Hee in 2021 and 2022, she bounced back stronger, putting together a dominant three-fight win streak over Lin Heqin, Julie Mezabarba, and Noelle Grandjean.
Her path to the undisputed crown took an unexpected turn when a highly anticipated title fight against her former teammate Stamp Fairtex fell through due to the Thai champion’s knee injury.
Pivoting to an interim title opportunity at ONE Fight Night 27 in January 2025, Zamboanga stopped Ukraine’s Alyona Rassohyna via a spectacular second-round technical knockout.
The victory earned her a $50,000 performance bonus and permanently etched her name in sports history as the very first Filipina MMA world champion.