"I gotta get through him" - Jonathan Di Bella says win over Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 26 propels him to world title shot

ONE strawweight kickboxing star Jonathan Di Bella hopes to restart his journey towards reclaiming the 125-pound kickboxing world championship with a win over Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6.

The former ONE strawweight kickboxing king shared his thoughts on his upcoming battle inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA:

"I believe I should be already in line for Pranjanchai. But I don't mind if Sam-A gets a shot. I'm focused on Rui, 100 percent. I gotta get through him. Without beating Rui, there's no title shot for me. So I gotta focus 100 percent on beating Rui because if I don't beat Rui, I don't get my title shot. But yeah, for sure. We all know that I deserve the shot before. But it's okay, under the circumstances."

The Team Di Bella Kickboxing star is coming off a heartbreaking defeat to strawweight Muay Thai world champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai at ONE Friday Fights 68 this past June, where the latter claimed the then-vacant 125-pound kickboxing crown.

After suffering the first loss of his stellar 13-fight career, fans of the world's largest martial arts promotion can expect Di Bella to go after a decisive victory over Botelho at ONE Fight Night 26.

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Jonathan Di Bella remains composed ahead of ONE Fight Night 26

Losing can change how a fighter prepares for his fights, but Jonathan Di Bella remains confident in his abilities heading into his fourth bout under the ONE banner.

Speaking exclusively with Sportskeeda MMA, Di Bella declared:

"I'm the same. I just trained the same, fight the same, and that's it. Nothing really changed. I just have more experience in my account."

ONE Fight Night 26 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.