{"id":46284,"date":"2025-08-05T21:54:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T21:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/46284\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T21:54:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T21:54:15","slug":"it-was-a-long-time-coming-joshua-pacio-proud-of-denice-zamboangas-historic-feat-for-the-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/46284\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It Was A Long Time Coming\u2019 – Joshua Pacio Proud Of Denice Zamboanga\u2019s Historic Feat For The Philippines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Undisputed ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua \u201cThe Passion\u201d Pacio<\/a> beams with pride to see just how far his compatriot Denice \u201cThe Menace\u201d Zamboanga<\/a> has come.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Filipino superstar witnessed Zamboanga\u2019s rocky journey, which was filled with trials, tribulations, and circumstances beyond her control.\u00a0From unfortunate injuries to postponed World Title bouts, the 28-year-old endured hardships and patiently waited for her moment to shine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After overcoming the odds, Zamboanga can now proudly call herself the Philippines\u2019 first female MMA World Champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She captured the ONE Interim Women\u2019s Atomweight MMA World Title with a commanding victory over Alyona Rassohyna<\/a> this past January, and she was elevated to undisputed status after Stamp Fairtex relinquished her belt<\/a> in May.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Pacio, this life-changing breakthrough couldn\u2019t have happened to a better person:<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really happy when she got promoted to undisputed World Champion because it was a long time coming. God\u2019s timing is always perfect. She\u2019s a World Champion now, a female World Champion at that. Guys aren\u2019t the only ones capable of it, of course. Female Filipino fighters can also win gold in ONE Championship.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zamboanga\u2019s career-defining moment has also broken down barriers in the Philippines\u2019 MMA landscape.<\/p>\n

By becoming the first woman from his country to win ONE Championship gold, Pacio believes it will inspire more females to pursue the sport and follow in \u201cThe Menace\u2019s\u201d footsteps.<\/p>\n

He added:<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, that\u2019s what we lack here in the Philippines. We don\u2019t have a lot of female fighters. So, I\u2019m really happy because there\u2019s now a female MMA World Champion in ONE Championship. It\u2019s a big motivation to other female athletes who are looking to capture a ONE World Title.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, both Pacio and Zamboanga will carry the Philippine flag when they travel to Tokyo, Japan, to compete in high-stakes bouts at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri<\/a> on November 16.<\/p>\n

That evening, the strawweight MMA king will seek two-division supremacy when he goes up a weight class to challenge ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya \u201cLittle Piranha\u201d Wakamatsu<\/a> at Ariake Arena.<\/p>\n

Zamboanga is also scheduled for action, as she\u2019ll make her first World Title defense against hometown hero Ayaka \u201cZombie\u201d Miura<\/a> on the same card.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the Lions Nation MMA representative, this monumental event holds a lot of weight for the torchbearers of the Philippine MMA scene.<\/p>\n

With interest in the sport at an all-time high, Pacio wants to continue winning and influencing his compatriots.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Passion\u201d said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re in the peak of our careers right now, me and Denice. And after five years, we don\u2019t know what will happen. Maybe we\u2019ll see new talents rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really happy because the era of Filipino World Champions doesn\u2019t stop. I\u2019m just so happy because MMA is once again surging in the Philippines. Now, we have two World Champions from different teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joshua Pacio Confident More Filipino MMA World Champions Will Emerge\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joshua Pacio believes the buck won\u2019t stop with him and Denice Zamboanga.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Cordillera-based fighter remains optimistic that the Philippines could soon return to its former glory, as there were multiple athletes wearing ONE Championship gold nearly seven years ago.<\/p>\n

Pacio said:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2018, we had four or five World Champions. Now, we have two. After three to four years, I wonder what will happen. I hope it doesn\u2019t end, I hope the Philippines continues to produce World Champions in MMA.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

With several rising stars already waiting in the wings, Pacio believes the country\u2019s future is in good hands.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old gave his stamp of approval to promising studs Jayson \u201cDumagmang Warrior\u201d Miralpez<\/a> and Marwin \u201cGreen Goblin\u201d Quirante<\/a>, who are both making waves in the ONE Friday Fights event series.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Passion\u201d offered:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they continue to develop, Jayson Miralpez and Marwin Quirante have the potential. When I was 19 to 23 years old, I wasn\u2019t as good as them. So, if they just continue to work, they\u2019ll reach a new level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Also, Pacio sees a bright future for his former teammate, Jhanlo Mark Sangiao<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Team Lakay prince made a triumphant return at ONE Fight Night 33<\/a> last month, notching a scintillating submission victory over Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pacio said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe trained with him before when he was younger. If he continues to work, and doesn\u2019t think about any distractions, he\u2019ll be a World Champion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Undisputed ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua \u201cThe Passion\u201d Pacio beams with pride to see just how far…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":["post-46284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}