"He's too old" - Johan Ghazali gives his honest opinion about Sam-A's chances against Jonathan Di Bella at ONE 172

Muay Thai upstart Johan Ghazali thinks Sam-A Gaiyanghadao's advancing age will put him at a disadvantage when he competes at ONE 172.

The Thai icon may have looked like his self of old in recent fights, but he'll be up against a very tricky foe in Jonathan Di Bella inside the historic Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23.

Sam-A and Jonathan Di Bella tango for the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world title and an automatic ticket to a unification battle against divisional king and two-sport champ Prajanchai PK Saenchai:

"If Sam-A was a bit younger, I would say Sam-A, for sure. But, right now, he's too old. He's what, 40? He's quite old right now. I love Sam-A, but I'm gonna go for Di Bella," the 18-year-old told Sportskeeda MMA.

Regardless of who emerges victorious, fans are in store for an interesting clash of styles when they get locked inside the circle on fight night.

Jonathan Di Bella's technicality is always fun to watch. The Canadian-Italian striker uses it to cut angles and collect points on the attack.

Thai legend Sam-A, meanwhile, brings twice the level of technicality that Di Bella has. If you add his experience to the equation, it spells danger for anyone standing across him.

But as Johan pointed out, the Evolve MMA superstar's age might catch up with him against someone as skilled as the Team Di Bella Kickboxing representative.

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Jonathan Di Bella says beating Sam-A and claiming gold inside Saitama Super Arena will be "a dream come true"

Ahead of his world title tilt, ONE Championship caught up with Jonathan Di Bella to get his thoughts on what this fixture means to him.

The Canadian-Italian told the promotion that the chance to fight Sam-A was already a significant moment, and he sees the world title on the line and the historic venue as two added incentives that only make him more fired up to claim the W in Saitama:

"It'll mean the world to win against Sam-A, a legend, in that arena, in Japan. You know, winning a world title against him, that's a dream come true."

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will be available via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com on Sunday, March 23.