“He’s one of my favorite fighters” - Jonathan Di Bella says it’s a bittersweet feeling to defeat his "idol" Sam-A

The phrase 'never meet your heroes' rings true for Jonathan Di Bella. In his case, he had to trade strikes with a fighter he looked up to for most of his career.

The Italian-Canadian superstar took on the legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang inside Japan's Saitama Super Arena last Sunday, March 23.

With the interim strawweight kickboxing world title on the line, both world-class athletes left it all out for five full rounds of the highest levels of striking.

While Sam-A had his moments, it was clear Di Bella got the better of their exchanges and took home 26 pounds of gold via a unanimous decision victory.

After reclaiming the belt, Jonathan Di Bella bared his respect and admiration for the 41-year-old Thai warrior in his in-ring interview:

"Man, fighting a legend like that was hard. He’s one of my favorite fighters so it was kinda hard fighting him. But you know, when you step in the ring, it’s all business, and I gotta put that aside."

Jonathan Di Bella lit up Sam-A for 15 minutes, using his calculated and precise attacks to get the better of the former two-sport world champion.

Rewatch the highly technical showdown, along with the rest of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, via watch.onefc.com.

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Jonathan Di Bella honored to regain world title in the historic halls of Saitama Super Arena

Winning the interim strawweight kickboxing world title was truly special for Jonathan Di Bella, especially since it took place in 'The Land of The Rising Sun'.

The Team Di Bella Kickboxing superstar said during the post-event press conference:

"My background is in Kyokushin karate, which is based in Japan, so I just wanted to give a warm welcome to the fans. And you know, it's been amazing here, and it's been an honor to fight here, especially where my roots of karate are from, and that was an honor."

While Di Bella will now enjoy the spoils of his victory, it won't be long before he goes to battle again in his inevitable world title unification against strawweight kickboxing king Prajanchai PK Saenchai.