The atomweight grand prix quarterfinal fight saw controversy erupt after Ham (24-8) won a split decision following three rounds of back-and-forth action. The first round clearly belonged to Zamboanga (8-1), while the second seemed to lean towards Ham. However, as with all ONE Championship fights, scoring is based on the entirety of the fight, not round-by-round.

ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the news Wednesday to the South China Morning Post.

Per Sityodtong, the committee, comprised of ONE officials, referees, and judges, voted “9-5 in favor of keeping the decision standing, that Seo Hee Ham won the fight. So the decision stands.”

A tearful Zamboanga had pleaded with the promotion to review the result following her loss. Both fighters told media outlets that they felt they had done enough to win the bout.

Denice Zamboanga will now be matched up with grand prix alternate Julie Mezabarba. The Brazilian made her debut at Empower, defeating veteran Mei Yamaguchi to move on as an alternate.

No date has been announced for that fight, or for the atomweight grand prix semifinal round. Fans, however, can vote for the upcoming match-ups at onefc.com/vote — with Stamp Fairtex, Ritu Phogat, Itsuki Hirata, and Seo Hee Ham the four fighters remaining.

The post Result of Seo Hee Ham vs. Denice Zamboanga Upheld by ONE Championship Competition Committee appeared first on Cageside Press.

ONE Founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong took to social media recently to announce the tournament’s participants, and they include some familiar faces — including one former UFC talent.

BREAKING NEWS: The ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix kicks off May 28! The ultimate winner will earn the right to face off against current ONE Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee in November of this year for all of the marbles. Stay tuned for the tournament brackets! pic.twitter.com/PqJIHsj4l0

— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) February 24, 2021

The eight tournament participants are:

Top Chinese contender Meng Bo (17-5), former UFC fighter and ROAD FC champ Seo Hee Ham (23-8), multi-sport champion Stamp Fairtex (5-1), Ukraine’s Alyona Rassohyna (13-4), who became the first woman to defeat Fairtex in MMA, American Alyse Anderson (5-1), a veteran of Invicta FC, undefeated Japanese prospect Itsuki Hirata (4-0), Indian wrestling standout Ritu Phogat (4-0), and undefeated Filipino standout Denice Zamboanga (8-0).

Ham, with the most experience of the group, will be making her promotional debut.

No backup fighters or brackets for the grand prix have been announced. However, the festivities will kick off on May 28 — which puts it outside the date range for ONE Championship’s upcoming debut run on American network TNT. The ONE on TNT series runs through April.

The winner of the ONE Championship World Atomweight Grand Prix will earn a shot at atomweight champ Angela Lee. One of the promotion’s biggest stars, Lee is currently on the sidelines awaiting the birth of her first child. No return date has been set for the champ, but she’ll have plenty of time as the tournament plays out.

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