A visibly upset Denice Zamboanga struggled to find the words to describe her split decision loss against Seo Hee Ham at ONE Championship’s Empower on Friday.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m so speechless right now,” the Filipino fighter told media outlets following the atomweight grand prix quarterfinal. “For me, I clearly won the fight.”
Saying that nothing surprised her in the match-up, Zamboanga believes that she had the control in the bout. Which makes her exit from the grand prix that much harder to swallow. That in turn may lead the formerly undefeated atomweight appealing the result.
Zamboanga and Ham went the distance in the contest, which saw the “Lycan Queen” dominate the early going. While Ham was more active on the feet in the second and third rounds, the bout was close. After an accidental head butt opened up a gash on Zamboanga in the third, it looked as if the action would be stopped. But allowed to continue, she rallied, and control the remainder of the fight.
The split decision result against Zamboanga was a surprise to many.
“If they can review my fight, and re-decide who really won that fight, that would be good,” Zamboanga stated, before emotions overwhelmed her. “For me, I really did my best and everything. She didn’t do anything. I had the control, I even took her striking. I still can’t believe—” she added, unable to finish her statement.
ONE Championship rules see the bout scored based on the entirety of the fight, rather than the round by round format used in most western promotions. With many questioning Friday’s result, Zamboanga took “a bit of consolation” in the popular sentiment. But ultimately, she wants ONE to review the fight.
“They haven’t talked to me yet, but I hope they talk to me about the future, and about fighting Ham.”
When asked if she was opened to a rematch with the South Korean, Zamboanga was emphatic. “Absolutely, yes.”
ONE Championship has reversed fight outcomes in the past. Earlier this year, Eddie Alvarez petitioned the promotion to overturn his DQ loss against Iuri Lapicus. A panel of experts comprised of industry experts, ONE Championship officials, judges, and referees reviewed the bout. They later overturned the result to a No Contest.
Watch Denice Zamboanga’s full ONE: Empower post-fight media appearance above.
