Filipina MMA fighter finds home in Thailand after getting stranded due to pandemic

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

For already two months, Denice “The Menace Fairtex” Zamboanga has been stranded in Thailand right after her dominating win over Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi during ONE: King of the Jungle.

The Filipina MMA practitioner failed to go home to the PH after Thailand implemented strict travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Zamboanga, her gratefulness to her fellow MMA fighters’ Stamp Fairtex and Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon is still overwhelming.

Fairtex, who’s the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion and Jitmuangnon, the current ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, provided Zamboanga a second home while away from her family.

“I’ve gotten close with Stamp and Rodtang. When they were just starting, Stamp would always tell me about Rodtang and sometimes we go out to eat together,” she said.

The kindness the Thais showed her amid the pandemic was overflowing, and Zamboanga said she did not take too much time adjusting because they were kind, welcoming, hospitable, and lovely.

“Right now I’m learning more and more about their culture,” Zamboanga added.