“The Division’s Getting Exciting” – Jonathan Di Bella Eager to Face New Challengers in Strawweight Kickboxing Ranks

Jonathan Di Bella kept his pristine record alive against a tough opponent this past weekend, and he believes there are plenty of worthy challengers ahead for him. The ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion passed his first test as titleholder with flying colors thanks to the dominant performance he put in against Danial Williams in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 15 on Friday, October 6, inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Williams brought his signature toughness and resiliency to the matchup, implementing a sound strategy of targeting his opponent’s leg early on. However, Di Bella’s distance control and precision striking was too much for the Thai-Aussie to handle. And after five rounds of battle, all three judges were unanimous in picking the Italian-Canadian striker as the winner. 

Jonathan Di Bella addresses post-fight injury nonchalantly

During his post-right interview following the match, Di Bella’s leg appeared to show signs of damage from “Mini T’s” game plan, which prompted ONE commentator Mitch Chilson to ask how it felt. “I feel good. My dad kicks me everyday. It’s good,” the 27-year-old replied. The undefeated World Champion has trained with his father since he could barely walk, and he continues to follow his guidance to this day.

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In preparing for Williams, Di Bella said he knew he was in for a difficult evening and that he was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t get a finish in the fight. “I knew he was tough, but I was expecting to catch him cleaner, but I couldn’t get that clean shot,” he said. After cementing his spot at the top of the strawweight kickboxing mountain in the world’s largest martial arts organization, the Montreal-based star is looking forward to taking on all challengers – old and new.

Jonathan Di Bella plans to step up his game for the division

Di Bella’s open to proving himself once more against Zhang Peimian, who he defeated to claim the vacant belt in his promotional debut at ONE 162 in October 2022. The two battled to a tight five-round contest, with a pivotal final-round knockdown of “Fighting Rooster” skewing the match in Di Bella’s favor on the scorecards. 

A rematch against the Chinese star would certainly erase any doubt about the reigning king’s dominance in the division, but he believes there are also other exciting challengers who he need to be ready for any time. “I want anyone in the division. If the rematch is available with my last opponent, Zhang, and there’s a bunch of other challengers in the division that I see, so it’s exciting,” Di Bella said. “The division’s getting exciting, and I’m excited. I got to keep getting better and go back to the drawing board.”

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