ONE Championship's No. 2-ranked women’s atomweight MMA contender Meng Bo has called out No. 1-ranked Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga of the Philippines, following the former's decision win over Samara Santos in ONE: Unbreakable.

The 24-year-old from Changsha, China who remains undefeated in ONE wants to get Zambaonga's ranking for a shot at the atomweight world title.

“We were supposed to fight last year, but COVID happened and it was cancelled. I couldn’t fly to Singapore at that time,” Meng said.

“But I must say, Denice was lucky that fight got cancelled. If we were in the ring together, without a shadow of doubt, I would beat her up and take her spot as the No. 1 ranked atomweight in the division.”

Meng is best known for being the only woman to have defeated UFC women’s strawweight champion “Magnum” Zhang Weili. She also knocked out two of her last three opponents, both in the first round.

• MMA: Denice Zamboanga lauded as one of ONE’s top fighters in 2020

Meanwhile, Zamboanga’s resounding victories over top-ranked Jihin Radzuan and Mei Yamaguchi since joining ONE Championship in 2019 earned her pole position in the rankings. She currently sports an unblemished 5-0 record.

But Meng is hardly impressed by what “The Menace” has accomplished.

“Denice is a stubborn and tough fighter. But if I was to identify her strength, she’s only good at punching, nothing else,” said Meng.

“(As for me) I learned a lot in the Samara Santos fight. One weak area I’ve discovered is my ground fighting skills. I need to improve my ground control and strength. My goal is to master all combat sports skills and become the most dangerous MMA fighter in ONE Championship.”

Both Meng and Zamboanga are expected to participate in the much-anticipated ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix, slated to commence later this year.

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