ONE 167: Noelle Grandjean Has “No Time For Doubts” Ahead Of Short-Notice Fight With Denice Zamboanga

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Atomweight MMA star Noelle Grandjean last competed just four weeks ago at ONE Fight Night 22. Following her narrow defeat to Chihiro Sawada last month, the Thai-French fighter expected some downtime.

But when the phone rang with a short-notice chance to face an old friend and #2-ranked atomweight MMA contender Denice Zamboanga, "Lil Monkey" couldn't turn down the opportunity to feature at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II this Saturday, 8 June, at Bangkok, Thailand's Impact Arena.

The call came following the withdrawal of ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex, who injured herself two weeks ago. Grandjean sympathizes with the Thai great. But one woman's setback is another's opportunity. And Grandjean is ready to snatch the offer to try and turn her luck around.

"Honestly, I just think it's a big opportunity, and I know a lot of people would love to be in my place. So I just realized I need to take this opportunity," the 28-year-old said.

"Also, this opportunity also came at a moment when I was having doubts about my career, and this was when I got the call. I was thinking this is where the universe wants me to go, and there's no time for doubts and questioning. I think it's going to be a fun fight."

Admittedly, Grandjean is an admirer of both Stamp and Zamboanga. And, like many others, she was excited for the close friends to battle it out at the top of the division.

In a similar story, though, "Lil Monkey" and "The Menace" are also well acquainted with one another. The duo trained together at Fairtex Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand, years back. So Grandjean feels she knows Zamboanga's style well enough to cause a massive upset inside the Impact Arena.

And while a positive result for Grandjean could propel her up the atomweight MMA rankings, there are no hard feelings surrounding the contest. It's all business. Whichever way it goes, the atomweight stars will pick up where their friendship left off after the final bell.

"It's also sad to hear that Stamp is out. I was actually looking forward to that fight as well. But you know, accidents happen," Grandjean said.

"I think it's nice because it's also actually the same story. I'm part Thai. We're former teammates as well. It's a bit of the same story, but different fighting styles.

"Of course, we don't want to punch each other's faces. But at the end of the day, we have the same goal. That's what we have to do. After the fight, we can eat donuts together."