ONE Championship: 'Very overwhelming' experience as Zamboanga siblings fight on the same day for 1st time ever

Denice Zamboanga will first see action on Saturday morning at ONE on Prime Video 5. ONE Championship

By Ivan Saldajeno

PARANAQUE--A grand homecoming awaits Drex and Denice Zamboanga as they will be fighting in the Philippines again for the first time since they joined Thailand-based Marrok Force.

What makes it more special is that the rising star siblings will be seeing action on the same day, a Saturday, at the same place, the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Denice is the first to go as she takes on Lin Heqin in the morning session of ONE 164, ONE on Prime Video 5.

Drex then goes up against Adonis Sevilleno, the winner of the ONE Warrior Series Philippines, in the evening part of ONE 164.

Drex said that it will be the first time ever that he and his sister are part of a single fight card.

Drex Zamboanga will follow suit later in the night in an all-Filipino fight against ONE Championship debutant Adonis Sevilleno. ONE Championship 

"It's very overwhelming because I trained with my sister ever since we started our MMA career, and now, we're gonna fight in our home country and at the same time in the same card," Drex said during the pre-fight press conference on Wednesday night at The Theater at Solaire here.

"I'm very excited and very grateful that ONE Championship gave me and my brother this opportunity to fight on the same day. Sobrang saya nun, di ba: yung pareho kayong magkapatid na magkasama?" added Denice, the number three-ranked women's atomweight contender.

The stakes are high for the female Zamboanga as a win against Lin could quickly bring her back to the title picture.

"That's the goal: to take a world title shot, and in this fight, I'm gonna show that 'Denice the Menace' is coming back on Saturday [morning]. And I'm gonna show how Filipinos are the best fighters [in Asia]," Denice vowed.

Meanwhile, a win would not just make Drex, the former URCC bantamweight champion, give Adonis a rude ONE Championship welcome in their all-Filipino fight but also draws him closer to making the world rankings as well, which could mean a future title shot, so the fight has some significance too.

"I will make sure your tickets are worth it for this fight night," Denice further vowed.

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