Good friends but soon-to-be rivals Stamp Fairtex and Denice Zamboanga came face-to-face on May 4 at ONE Fight Night 22 and had some friendly yet firm words for each other.
The pair will collide at the Impact Arena in the main event of ONE 167 on June 8. On that day, Stamp puts her ONE atomweight MMA world title on the line against No.2 ranked Zamboanga.
They remain firm friends after having shared the mats at Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, adding an intriguing dimension to this high-stakes battle.
But during an interview on the May 4 telecast, Stamp assured fans that she won't let their relationship affect her come fight night.
"If you talk about our friendship, yes, it's hard to put that aside. But that belt is more important so, it's very easy for me," she said.
For Zamboanga, the chance to make history will also make it easier to put her affection for Stamp aside and handle business.
"The Menace," who now trains at T-Rex MMA in the Philippines, is known for her submission ability, and she sees that as her path to world title glory.
"I know Stamp. I treat her as my sister. We trained before and I treat her as my family, but I will do my best to make history and become the first Filipina ONE world champion," Zamboanga said.
"She trained very hard. She trained very hard and prepared a lot of her striking and her ground game, but I can say that I can use my ground game as my advantage."
Stamp is a former ONE atomweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion as well, with more than 80 fights under the striking rule sets to her name.
Her credentials on the feet speak for themselves, and the Thai megastar couldn't resist a joke before revealing her game plan for the fight.
"I've been thinking about my dance only," she said. "I've practiced the dance, but I will keep it a secret. I'm probably going to use my Muay Thai, because I'm fighting her in Thailand. So, Muay Thai is the way to go."
The pair then engaged in an ultra-friendly face off for the fans, but their smiles will make way for their game faces when they meet for atomweight MMA supremacy on June 8.
