“A dream card for the fans of striking” - Jonathan Di Bella honored to be part of star-studded ONE 172 line-up

Former ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella is thrilled and honored to be included in ONE Championship's scheduled live on-ground event this month in Japan. He considers it one of the best the promotion has assembled and that fight fans are in for a treat.

The 28-year-old Italian-Canadian fighter will bid for the interim strawweight kickboxing world title at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena. He will be up against fellow former strawweight king and Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao.

The contest is one of five world title fights on offer at the stacked event, which also showcases some of the top strikers in the world and ONE's superstars.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Jonathan Di Bella shared his thoughts on being part of ONE 172 and what fans can expect, saying:

"It’s crazy. Honestly, this shows that I'm one of the best in the world."

He added:

"[ONE Chairman and CEO] Chatri [Sityodtong ] put all the best strikers in one card, and it's a dream card for the fans of striking. It's all the best strikers in the world. We have all the superstars; all the big names are on one card."

Jonathan Di Bella was last in action back in December, where he won by decision over Rui Botelho of Portugal. It was a bounce-back win for him after he failed in his bid to reclaim the strawweight belt he was stripped of against now-divisional king Prajanchai PK Saenchai in June last year.

His opponent, Sam-A, 41, meanwhile, is riding a two-fight winning streak, with the latest of his victories coming last November by decision over Zhang Peimian of China.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang is available live on pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.

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Jonathan Di Bella excited to compete at the Saitama Super Arena

Apart from the impressive roster of fighters seeing action at ONE 172, Jonathan Di Bella is also excited to be part of the event set to go down at the famous Saitama Super Arena.

He shared this in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting the huge role the multipurpose arena is playing in the combat sports culture.

The Team Di Bella Kickboxing standout said:

"It's a dream come true. Saitama Super Arena is a legendary arena for kickboxing and all combat sports because it's been there forever."

The Saitama Super Arena was built in 2000 and has a maximum capacity of 36,500. It is a favorite venue for Japanese pro wrestling and mixed martial arts events. It also hosts other sports events like boxing, basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey and gymnastics.