First-ranked ONE Championship female mixed martial arts atomweight Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga of the Philippines didn’t take kindly to Meng Bo’s recent comments about her.

Meng is fresh off an impressive performance against former ONE World Title challenger Samara Santos at ONE: UNBREAKABLE last Friday night, winning by unanimous decision after three close rounds.

Following the contest, Meng laid into Zamboanga, taking a dig at the Filipina fighter’s skills and promising she would knock the #1-ranked atomweight out should they ever meet in the ONE Circle.

Zamboanga, who is currently based out of Thailand, responded to Meng’s call out. The 24-year-old rising star took a subtle swipe at the Chinese fighter’s performance, but also welcomed a possible showdown.

“I was actually expecting her to finish her unranked opponent, but it didn’t happen. I enjoyed watching it,” Zamboanga criticized Meng’s performance.

“Of course, I’m always open to facing anyone they put me in the Circle with. Meng Bo is the #2-ranked atomweight, so we will meet sooner or later. I know at some point, whether it’s in the tournament, or outside of it, we will fight.”

Zamboanga maintains that she is in constant training at their new gym in Bangkok — Marrok Force — where she continues to hone her skills alongside older brother Drex “T-Rex” Zamboanga and teammate Fritz Biagtan.

The top-billed Filipina mixed martial arts star is preparing herself for a possible entry into the much-talked about ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix. Both Zamboanga and Meng are expected to be among eight participants in the said tournament, with the winner earning the right to challenge reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee when she returns from giving birth to her first child later this year.

Zamboanga says her training is coming along just fine and that her goal remains to bring the ONE World Title home to the Philippines before the year ends.

“Right now I’m just enjoying my time here training with my new team here at Marrok Force. It’s good to have this solid support system by me all the time. We help each other get better and improve, and we’re always in shape because that fight offer could come at any time,” Zamboanga said.

“I’m excited this year because there are a lot of possibilities. I’m really motivated to take my career to the next level. To all my fans in the Philippines, thank you for the love and support. I appreciate it and I promise I will do my best in every fight. Let’s get that world title this year!”

ONE Championship returns with ONE: UNBREAKABLE II, a previously recorded event scheduled for broadcast on Friday, 29 January.

In the main event, former ONE Heavyweight World Title challenger Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli of Italy will take on Russia’s Abdulbasir “Dagestan Machine” Vagabov. Also scheduled for action is four-time Heavyweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani of Hong Kong, who will face Senegalese sensation “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane.