EVEN Stamp Fairtex would admit that a lot has changed since she and Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga were together at the Fairtex Gym.
And as they step inside the ONE Circle against each other in the main event of ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga at Impact Arena in Bangkok on June 8, she knows that their friendship must take a step back.
“I feel like it’s a bit difficult because I feel like I know her but also consider again, she also had changed and improved a lot the past few years,” said the reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion.
Truly, Zamboanga is a different beast now, grizzled by her time training with Marrok Force Gym and now with her brother’s T-Rex MMA Gym.
These are what keeps Stamp on her toes, knowing that like any other opponent, she can’t take the Filipina contender lightly even though they consider themselves as friends.
“I feel like I just have to be careful in terms of thinking that I know her. Her style was not the same when she was training with me anymore,” she stated.
“It’s the same with all the opponents that I had. I will have to study her style and prepare for the counters.”
Now, it’s all business for Stamp in the leadup to their collision. After all, all is fair in love and war.
“I feel like I just have to put the friendship behind and I don’t feel anything in particular because we are both professionals and we just have to do our job the best we could,” she said. “She wants my belt and I want to defend it so I just have to continue doing my job in defending my belt.”
After the fight, however, it’s a different story.
“We have to go to shabu-shabu together,” she said.