Jonathan Di Bella wants to fight only high-level competition

ONE newcomer, Jonathan Di Bella, is stoked to make an impact on one of the largest martial arts organizations in the world. Joining ONE Championship before the pandemic, it’s obvious he’s looking forward to stretching his legs with some high-level competition.

As fortune would have it, Di Bella returns to the professional scene to fight for the vacant ONE strawweight kickboxing world title this Friday at ONE 162.

Having world-class experience and success under the ISKA banner, Di Bella admits that the best fighters in the world right now are in ONE Championship.

Speaking to Tom Taylor from the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Di Bella was asked if he thought ONE was the premiere destination for kickboxing, the 26-year-old southpaw replied:

“One-hundred percent. ONE Championship has the best kickboxers on the planet.”

Check out the full interview below:

Come fight night, Di Bella will test his skills against one of China’s best kickboxing stars, Zhang Peimian.

The youngster recorded two impressive victories this year, but made a real impact in his promotional debut against Josh Tonna last March. He scored a devastating second-round knockout that garnered mass attention, especially from ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Acknowledging that the strawweight division is fairly new but has a string of tough competitors with undeniable talent, Di Bella hasn’t put much thought about who he wants to fight next as his sole focus is to become world champion:

“I see everybody fighting in my weight class, so I’m looking at everybody. But I’m fighting Zhang next so I’m only thinking about him now.”

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Jonathan Di Bella wants to show North American fans why kickboxing is such a beautiful sport

Jonathan Di Bella’s lifelong dream was always to share his love of kickboxing with North American fans on the grand stage. Despite the sport's popularity in Asia, it’s struggled to find some traction in North America, which Di Bella is hoping to change.

He’s worked so hard to get to this point in his career to propel kickboxing into the mainstream. Finally, after two and a half years in the making, Di Bella is ready to turn those dreams into a reality.

In a promotional video for ONE 162, Jonathan Di Bella said:

“I always wanted to make this sport big, especially in North America. I want to show the world what truly kickboxing is and what kind of sport it is - because it’s truly one of the [most] beautiful sports in martial arts.”