Noelle Grandjean looks to leverage her familiarity with Denice Zamboanga at ONE 167

Noelle Grandjean is gearing up for the most pivotal bout of her professional career.

This happens at ONE 167 on Prime Video, airing live in U.S. primetime from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 7.

There, she squares off with Denice Zamboanga — the current #2-ranked women’s atomweight MMA contender — in a three-round duel.

This unexpected opportunity came after Stamp Fairtex was forced to withdraw from her ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title defense against Zamboanga two weeks ago due to a torn meniscus.

It opened the doors for the French-Thai standout to fill in for Stamp and face Zamboanga on short notice.

Despite coming off a lopsided loss to Chihiro Sawada this past May, Grandjean saw this offer as one she couldn’t pass up.

“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,” she said.

Acknowledging the challenges ahead, “Lil Monkey” is aware that the odds are not in her favor.

However, she remains optimistic, believing her intimate knowledge of Zamboanga’s fighting style gives her a unique advantage.

Both fighters were once teammates, sharing countless hours on the training mats. Grandjean believes this familiarity could be the key to her success.

“I think being familiar with here will help, and it’s more fun for me,” she said.

“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.”

Noelle Grandjean expects huge payoff by beating Denice Zamboanga

Taking on such a high-profile fight on short notice is a considerable risk, especially following a recent defeat.

However, Noelle Grandjean feels that the potential rewards far outweigh the dangers.

“Denice is a top contender. If I get a win against Denice, it will definitely propel me to the belt. It’s a big opportunity, so I took it,” she said.