The final atomweight grand prix quarterfinal on Friday’s ONE Championship: Empower card saw Seo Hee Ham finally make her promotional debut.
The former UFC fighter and ROAD FC champion had last fought in 2019, when she won the RIZIN FF super atomweight title. She later signed on with ONE, but delays thanks to the coronavirus pandemic saw the entire Empower card pushed back from May to September.
Ham’s debut opponent in the ONE circle was the undefeated Denice Zamboanga. And it was the Filipino fighter putting the fight right where she wanted it in the opening round on Friday.
Zamboanga pressed Ham into the fence, looking strong in the clinch and landing a number of knees. What she could not land was the takedown, with both double-leg and single-leg attempts fought off by the South Korean. The takedown would not come, in fact, until the final seconds of the round, Ham landing on her backside just as the bell sounded. For the most part the entire round played out against the fence, but Zamboanga was in the driver’s seat.
Ham’s hands were much busier to start the second. She even dropped for a level change, but thought better of it. Ham was being hit on the way in, but her left hand looked dangerous. The problem was, Ham wasn’t putting strikes together. Nothing in the way of combos, and at the halfway mark, Zamboanga shot and landed a key takedown. Ham would work her way up; Zamboanga pressed her into the fence, but without much happening, the ref moved them back to center. A better round from Ham, but close.
The third round saw Ham begin to take over on the feet. But a clash of heads halted the action, with Zamboanga sporting a nasty cut. It felt like things might go to the scorecards early, but the Filipino fighter was able to continue. She immediately shot for a takedown, and Ham found herself working off her back in the final minute. Still, she’d done enough to edge out a split decision in the end.
With the completion of Ham vs. Zamboanga, the four atomweight grand prix semfinalists are Seo Hee Ham, Stamp Fairtex, Itsuki Hirata, and Ritu Phogat. Fans will be able to vote for the semifinal match-ups at onefc.com/vote.
