ONE Championship to review Seo Hee Ham’s Grand Prix win over Denice Zamboanga

The ONE Atomweight Women’s World Grand Prix quarter-finals went down on Friday in Singapore with UFC veteran Seo Hee Ham (24-8) getting the split decision win over Denice Zamboanga (8-1).

The result provoked a wave of angry comments online as fans voiced their disbelief at the decision. ONE Championship CEO, Chatri Sityodtong has said that the judges verdict is now under ‘formal review’ by the ONE competition committee.

The ONE boss has also said that he that he thinks Zamboanga won the bout.

“I thought Denice Zamboanga edged out Seo Hee Ham for the victory in a super close fight,” Chatri wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. “While I disagree with the judges, I can understand why they scored the bout for Ham.

“It was a very close fight with Ham landing the cleaner, heavier punches with damage and Denice controlling the cage work, takedowns, and ground action. Despite the loss, I definitely want to see Denice vs Angela [Lee] for the world title,” added the ONE boss. (H/T SCMP MMA.)

For her part, The former Rizin and Road FC champion addressed made it absolutely clear that she felt she won. Speaking to the media after the fight, Ham said,

“I think she should go and study the rules first, because if she knows the rules from the start to the end, I believe she would agree I won the fight, so I don’t know what to say.”

“I really don’t understand why this is causing some controversy,” Ham continued. “Just look at our faces. Faces speak the result. I think if the fans would study more about ONE rules they might feel the same way.”

Denice Zamboanga was HOT off the restart! #ONEEmpower #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/1i6OKOub0o

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 4, 2021

Pending the review from the committee, Ham has booked her place in the Grand Prix semi-finals to face either Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex, India’s Ritu Phoghat or Japan’s Itsuki Hirata. Fans have been given the opportunity to choose which match-up’s they want to see in the final four and can make their picks online (ONEFC.com/vote)

What do you think of the split decision – did the judges make the right call or does Zamboanga deserve a place in the Grand Prix semi-finals?