ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Champion Denice Zamboanga has withdrawn from her scheduled title defense against Ayaka Miura at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on November 16 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Zamboanga announced the withdrawal via social media Thursday evening, citing medical reasons that prevent her from competing.
"Unfortunately, due to medical reasons, I am unable to step into the Circle this time. It is heartbreaking for me to pull out of this match, and I want to sincerely apologize to Ayaka, to ONE Championship, and to all the fans who were anticipating this bout," Zamboanga said.
The 28-year-old Filipina champion captured the interim atomweight title with a second-round TKO victory over Alyona Rassohyna at ONE Fight Night 27 in January. She was elevated to undisputed champion in May when former titleholder Stamp Fairtex relinquished the belt.
Miura earned her title shot through a five-fight winning streak that includes four victories at atomweight. The 34-year-old Japanese fighter was seeking her first ONE World Title in front of her home crowd.
Zamboanga issued a personal apology to her opponent following the withdrawal.
"I was truly excited to defend my belt against you at ONE 173. I know how strong and talented you are, which makes this even more heartbreaking for me," Zamboanga said. "I sincerely apologize that I cannot compete this time due to medical reasons, and I hope we can share the Circle in the future."
The champion has not provided a specific timeline for her return but expressed commitment to coming back once fully recovered.
ONE 173 remains scheduled for November 16 despite the title fight withdrawal. The card features a featherweight kickboxing world title unification bout between champion Superbon and interim titleholder Masaaki Noiri in the main event.
Additional championship action includes a cross-divisional clash between strawweight MMA champion Joshua Pacio and flyweight MMA champion Yuya Wakamatsu, plus a heavyweight MMA title rematch between champion Oumar Kane and former titleholder Anatoly Malykhin.
ONE Championship has not announced a replacement opponent for Miura or rescheduled the atomweight title bout.
