Denice Zamboanga finally returned to the win column after taking a split decision win over Chinese opponent Lin Heqin in ONE Prime Video 5 Saturday morning at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Zamboanga, who began a good pace for the Filipinos, used powerful overhand and straight rights to dominate Heqin.
"The Menace" is indeed back and knows no height advantage, outclassing the Chinese opponent with aggressive and accurate striking.
Zamboanga pretty much dominated the first two rounds, mixing up her right hand with speedy footwork and combinations.
With the upper hand already, Zamboanga stepped on the gas in the third but Heqin also retaliated with regained confidence and made use of her lengthy legs to inflict damage on the Filipina.
With their continuous exchange of immense striking, Zamboanga sustained a swollen right eye while Heqin endured a bloody cut on her eye as well.
Still, Zamboanga had the judges' nod as she improved to a 9-2 record while Heqin fell to a 15-5-1 slate.
In the fourth bout of the lead card, Eduard Folayang fell at the hands of Brazilian Edson Marques after suffering a second-round technical knockout loss.
After a quick exchange of strikes, Marques caught Folayang off guard with a swift combination but it was his right hook that sent the Team Lakay stalwart down the canvas face first.
Referee Olivier Coste intervened at the 2:53 mark to halt the match but Folayang clearly got back on his feet.
Unfortunately, the decision has already been made as the former ONE lightweight champion who leveled Marques' striking, fell to a 22-13 mixed martial arts record.
His recent loss also counts for the fifth straight time in the MMA field.
Meanwhile, Filipino-American Jackie Buntan scored a convincing unanimous decision win against Amber Kitchen in their muay thai bout.