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Drex Zamboanga made a successful ONE Championship debut after recently scoring a hard-won submission victory over Thailand’s Detchadin Sornsirisuphathin at ONE: A NEW BREED in Bangkok.
Before the fight, Zamboanga highlighted the difficulties in training camp, as he had to move from Pattaya, where he and his younger sister Denice trained at Fairtex. Due to the lack of an established training center and the necessary sparring partners, Zamboanga said he was barely ready to go into the biggest fight of his career thus far.
As a result, he seemed slow throughout the contest and was far from satisfied with his performance.
“Having a good place to train is so important in MMA. We just train where we can here in Bangkok. Lacking dedicated training and sparring partners, as well as facing a bit of rust in the ring, I felt sluggish starting this One. It’s not easy to adapt to the new weight system. I think I had too much ice cream before the fight. I felt so heavy and slow, “Zamboanga said.
“The situation was tough, but we made some adjustments and the three of us just found ways to train when and where we could. Somehow, we were able to condition ourselves well enough to put on a good performance. It wasn’t easy.”
Before coming to ONE Championship, Zamboanga was a national champion in his native Philippines, competing for local mixed martial arts promotions. After signing with ONE, Zamboanga knew he had to adapt to the unique hydration and weight system of his new promotion.
Fortunately for the 31-year-old, he was able to solve it just in time to pass all the tests, including the one inside the circle.
“Adjusting to the ONE Championship weight and hydration system, it was totally different than what I was used to in my career, in a good way,” said Zamboanga. “Fortunately, I was able to make the weight and was hydrated. The first weeks of camp were a bit difficult because I was still trying to figure things out. The last week was when I was able to put everything together and it got easier from there.”
Against Detchadin, Zamboanga showed the complete game for which he has become known. Although he wanted to prove himself in the hitting department against an opponent he knew would give him a good challenge, Zamboanga ultimately ended up taking the action to the ground where he had the upper hand.
Once he made this key adjustment to his strategy, Zamboanga almost instantly closed the bare rear choke and completed the submission.
“My plan was to trade strikes with him, knowing that Thai fighters are great in the stand up. But I didn’t expect him to be that strong and durable. In the second round, I turned things around and wanted to test his fighting, for what I was able to get. the presentation, “Zamboanga said. “I was surprised that he gave his back so easily. The bare rear choke was there and I took it. Once the choke was deep, I knew I had it.”
Zamboanga currently remains in Bangkok with his sister Denice and his friend and training partner, Fritz Biagtan. The trio continue to train in the Thai capital while they are still unable to return to Manila due to border restrictions caused by the global health crisis.
“T-Rex” said that he is excited about what the future holds in his career, but that he has a lot of changes to make in training, so his next outing with ONE will be more fluid.
“I’m heading back to the gym and I have to make a lot of adjustments. There were a lot of things that I wasn’t happy with in my performance. My guard was too low and I didn’t have that head movement.” . I was a bit flat there too. I have to make adjustments in my diet too, and not have so many days of ice cream and cheats, ”said Zamboanga.
“I am so happy that I was able to get the victory. Having the opportunity to compete, especially in these times, is a blessing. I am lucky to be able to continue doing what I love, training and competing. ONE Championship is such a different environment from my experiences. above. They treat their fighters well. “
