Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 5) – The controversial ONE Championship Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix quarterfinal fight between Filipino fighter Denice Zamboanga and South Korea’s Seo Hee Ham is now under formal review.
ONE Championship boss Chatri Sityodtong made the announcement on Sunday.
“The fight between Denice Zamboanga and Seo Hee Ham is under formal review by the competition committee,” Sityodong said in his social media post.
The result of the Zamboanga-Ham fight, part of the mixed martial arts outfit’s first all-female card dubbed ONE: Empower, received negative reactions from netizens.
Ham won the controversial bout by split decision, despite Zamboanga’s more superior grappling skills than the South Korean fighter’s passive striking game.
RELATED: Denice Zamboanga loses in ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal
The Filipina fighter out of the Marrok Force camp also sustained a cut on the left side of her forehead after a head collision with Ham in the third round.
In the post-fight press conference, Zamboanga thought that she won the match.
RELATED: Zamboanga: I clearly won the fight unanimously
In a separate social media post, Sityodtong also thought the 24-year-old Filipina MMA practitioner prevailed in the fight.
“I thought Denice Zamboanga beat Seo Hee Ham. While I disagree with the judges, I can understand why they scored the bout for Ham. It was a close fight with Ham landing the cleaner, heavier punches and Denice controlling the cage work, takedowns, and ground action,” the ONE Championship boss said.
Sityodtong added he wants to see Zamboanga fight defending ONE women’s atomweight champion Angela Lee for the title.
Zamboanga’s controversial loss on Friday night meant she’s now ineligible to contend for Lee’s title. The two were supposed to battle each other last year, but the fight was cancelled due to Lee’s pregnancy.
