“I knew he was going to be tough” - Jonathan Di Bella admits it was hard to put away battle-tested Rui Botelho

Jonathan Di Bella voiced his respect for Rui Botelho's durability.

Earlier this year, Di Bella suffered his lone promotional loss, a title-losing performance against Prajanchai PK Saenchai. The former world champion started his road back to the ONE strawweight kickboxing throne at last Friday's ONE Fight Night 26.

Di Bella was matched up against Botelho, who's gone the distance with Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Panpayak Jitmuangnon in Muay Thai. Di Bella showcased a masterclass performance but had to settle for a unanimous decision due to Botelho's toughness.

Speaking about Botelho in his post-event interview, Di Bella said:

"Yeah, man, it feels good to be back in the win column. I fought another high-level opponent, and you know, he's been in there with Superlek, Panpayak, you know, all the other big fighters here in ONE. And, yeah, I knew he was going to be tough to finish because he has never been finished in ONE. So, yeah, that's it. It feels good."

Jonathan Di Bella's win against Rui Botelho wasn't the only world-class performance at ONE Fight Night 26. Last Friday's event featured Mayssa Bastos defeating Danielle Kelly in a world title rematch, Kongthoranee Sor Sommai showcasing his potential against Nakrob Fairtex, and more.

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 26 is available on demand for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

---

What's next for Jonathan Di Bella in ONE Championship?

Jonathan Di Bella will always have a spot in the ONE Championship record books for becoming the inaugural strawweight kickboxing world champion. With that said, Prajanchai proved he was a level above Di Bella at ONE Friday Fights 68.

Prajanchai is a two-sport world champion, as he holds the strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world titles. Therefore, the Thai superstar might defend his throne in "The Art of Eight Limbs" before returning to kickboxing.

Di Bella has revealed his interest in being more active in 2025 than in previous years. Depending on Prajanchai's schedule, the Canadian-Italian might fight against another contender before fighting for ONE gold again.

Potential opponents for Di Bella are Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, a rematch against Zhang Peimian, Aliff Sor Dechapan, and more.