Philippine MMA champion Drex "T-Rex" Zamboanga wants to leave a lasting impression when he makes his highly-anticipated debut inside the ONE Championship ring Friday night.
The 27-year old veteran is to face Thailand's Detchadine "Detchpool" Sornsirisusphathin in a three-round mixed martial arts bout at ONE: A NEW BREED, live, closed-door, audience-free event in Bangkok, Thailand.
Zamboanga is looking to score a statement-making triumph with millions of fans watching around the world.
"I am super excited because this is my MMA debut in ONE Championship, and I feel so great to be a part of the largest martial arts organization in the world," Zamboanga said.
"This is my first exposure on the big stage, on the number one promotion here in Asia. For me, I feel really excited because there’s a lot of very good fighters in the flyweight division. It’s a new challenge for me, and it gives me extra motivation to train more to reach my ultimate goal."
Drex's sister, Denice, is also scheduled to fight in the same card.
Drex said he wants to use the platform to inspire others who look to follow in his footsteps.
"I'm very happy because both of us are fighting on the same card here in Bangkok. It’s the first time for us to compete on the same card in such a big organization. We did so before, when we were amateurs around six years ago, but that can’t compare to this moment,” Zamboanga said.
"My dream here at ONE is to become the ONE Flyweight World Champion. But someday, I also want to be an inspiration and great role model to people who also want to become professional MMA fighters, like me."
Sornsirisuphathin is a Thai amateur MMDA dhampion. The 30-year old trained with some of the best martial arts talent at Bangkok Fight Lab.