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Jonathan Di Bella can't wait to step inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23.
Returning to the Circle at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, Di Bella will square off with Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao to crown a ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world champion.
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Coming off a big win over Rui Botelho in December, the Canadian-Italian kickboxing sensation is excited about the opportunity to not only fight an icon like Sam-A but to do it in The Land of the Rising Sun.
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Speaking with ONE Championship, Di Bella said:
“It’s really a nice venue and a dream come true, especially fighting Sam-A there. A legend. My dream fight against Sam-A, and the Saitama Super Arena is going to be a perfect location.”
Di Bella is no stranger to title fights on martial arts' biggest global stage. In fact, ONE 172 will be his fourth time competing for a championship in ONE.
Jonathan Di Bella ready to reclaim gold after losing his title on the scale last year
After defeating Zhang Peimian at ONE 162 to claim the ONE strawweight kickboxing crown, Jonathan Di Bella successfully defended the belt a year later against three-sport star Danial Williams.
Months later, Jonathan Di Bella was set to defend his title once again against Prajanchai at ONE Friday Fights 58 in April 2024. Unfortunately, he was unable to make weight for the fight. As a result, he was stripped of his championship status.
Di Bella went on to fight Prajanchai in June but came up short, suffering his first loss inside the Circle.
Since then, he's bounced back with an impressive showing against Rui Botelho and is just one win away from guaranteeing himself a rematch with Prajanchai.
Will Di Bella defeat Sam-A and once again strap 26 pounds of gold around his waist, or will the 41-year-old Thai fan favorite show the world that he has plenty of fight left in him?
ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.
