‘T-rex’ debuts in Bangkok card

PHILIPPINE mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Drex “T-rex” Zamboanga wants to leave a lasting impression when he makes his highly anticipated debut inside the One Championship ring on Friday night.

The 27-year-old veteran is scheduled to face Thailand’s Detchadin “Detchpool” Sornsirisuphathin in a three-round contest at One: A New Breed, a live, closed-door, audience-free event in Bangkok, Thailand.

Zamboanga is looking to score a statement-making victory with millions of fans watching around the world.

“I am super excited because this is my MMA debut in One Championship, and I feel so great to be a part of the largest martial arts organization in the world,” Zamboanga said.

“This is my first exposure on the big stage.. For me, I feel really excited because there’s a lot of very good fighters in the flyweight division,” he said. “It’s a new challenge for me, and it gives me extra motivation to train more to reach my ultimate goal.”

Zamboanga is fighting on the same card as his younger sister Denice.

“I’m very happy because both of us are fighting on the same card here in Bangkok. It’s the first time for us to compete on the same card in such a big organization. We did so before, when we were amateurs around six years ago, but that can’t compare to this moment,” Zamboanga said.

Sornsirisuphathin is no walk in the park. The 30-year-old “Detchpool” is a Thai amateur champion, who has trained with some of the best martial arts talent at Bangkok Fight Lab.