ONE Championship is going all out for gender equality in September with ONE: Empower, the all-women fight card that will make history in the fight world.
Set to air live across the world on Friday, September 3, this “Girls Night Out” in the ONE Circle is the first such event hosted by a major global martial arts organization where all the bouts from preliminaries to main card feature women protagonists.
It is a daring, innovative concept in MMA’s big league that will show the strength of the women’s division of the Singapore-based mixed martial arts, Muay Thai and kickboxing promotion. It will also be a chance for the women athletes of ONE to show off their skills and talents and prove that not just the men have the right to flex their strength or flash their savvy moves in the sport.
The event will feature two Filipina mixed martial arts athletes who are at the moment the most exciting to watch. One is Denice Zamboanga, born and raised in Quezon City and now fighting with Bangkok-based Marrok Force. She is out to prove her mettle once more after a long lay off, her last fight being almost a year ago, August 28, 2020 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok. There she defeated Watsapinya Kaewkhong by submission at ONE Championship: A New Breed at the Impact Arena in Bangkok.
She is called “Lycan Queen” for a reason. She is fierce and aggressive like a she-wolf. To date her fight record stands at 8-0. Five of her eight victories have been through knockout (2) or submission (3). She will face South Korean mixed martial artist and kickboxer Seo Hee Ham in the Grand Prix quarterfinals.
Denice is honored that she will represent the Philippines in the star-studded celebration of girl power. “I want to win for the country. I want to make sure I bring honor to the Philippines,” she said. The former Polytechnic U student says ONE: Empower is “such a big opportunity for women’s mixed martial arts.” “We’re rounding up the best female fighters in the world in one event. This shows just how big women’s mixed martial arts is, not only in ONE, but in the world.”
Also set to thrill in the landmark show– if she wins her bout with Vietnamese Bi Nguyen on August 27 — is Lady Lakay Jenelyn Olsim who stunned the martial arts world with her shocking victory over Number 5 ranked Maria Mazar of Brazil in Fists of Fury III in Singapore. Olsim marked her debut in the circle with strong punches, savvy Muay Thai moves, devastating kicks and a spectacular deep choke executed while standing.
The victory gave a solid boost to Olsim’s confidence, making her aware that she can truly match up with the best in ONE. It also catapulted her straight up to No. 5 in the ONE Athlete Rankings in the women’s strawweight division. Now everyone is excited to see how Jenny will build more myth when she faces Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen. How will she do it?
“After my first fight in ONE Championship, I became more confident in my ground game. I knew the things that I had to do and if I had the chance to lock in a submission, I should never waver and lock it in,” said the ONE Warrior Series standout.
“But again, I know that I still have so much more to work on. I have to keep learning and keep improving. In this sport, you can’t reach perfection and evolution is very important.”
Strong and skilled as she is, the Team Lakay fighter isn’t resting on her fame or her laurels. Still she expresses trust in the training she is getting from Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao and knows that they have done everything in their power to prepare for this next big challenge.
Olsim knows that subduing Nguyen won’t be easy. She is after all one of the top fighters in the women’s atomweight division for the past few years. The Vietnamese-American has squared off with some of the best in the promotion, with her last fight being a split decision win over Indian sensation Ritu Phogat at ONE: Dangal last May.
Aware of this dangerous threat, Olsim understands that she has to truly be at her best when she matches up against Nguyen.
“Bi is a tough fighter. She has that strong heart and I admire her for that. I have seen her fights and undoubtedly, she has that will power that I have to watch out for. But I believe with the training that we’ve had, I will have an answer for that,” she said.
Olsim thinks that despite their differences in terms of experience, she will have the edge when they face each other in the Circle.
“The fans can all expect an action-filled match, maybe a more technical Jenelyn,” she added. “I don’t want to predict what the finish will be, but either way, I’m going there with all my heart and I’ll do everything just to get the win. Whatever it takes…It’s going to be a good show,” she said.
Here are the other powerful females to watch out for when Empower is unleashed:
Meng Bo (#2-ranked ONE atomweight) of China vs. Ritu Phogat of India.
Stamp Fairtex (#4-ranked ONE atomweight) of Thailand vs. Alyona Rassohyna (#3-ranked ONE atomweight) of Ukraine.
Undefeated judoka Itsuki Hirata of Japan vs. ONE Championship newcomer Alyse Anderson of the United States.
French kickboxing star Anissa Meksen vs. Spain’s Cristina Morales.
In the featured lead card bout of ONE Super Series Muay Thai, Filipino-American striking sensation Jackie Buntan vs. Argentinian Daniela Lopez.
In a pair of World Grand Prix alternate bouts, former ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title challenger Mei Yamaguchi of Japan vs. Julie Mezabarba of Brazil. Grace Cleveland of the United States vs. the winner of Bi Nguyen vs. Jenelyn Olsim.