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Jonathan Di Bella lost for the first time in 13 career bouts at ONE Friday Fights 68 last June.
Fans and pundits alike understandably made a big deal out of it, considering the Italian-Canadian striker has looked untouchable throughout his erstwhile unbeaten run.
While Di Bella admittedly rues falling short against the prolific Prajanchai PK Saenchai, losing his undefeated tag was the least of his worries.
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Speaking in a Sportskeeda MMA exclusive, the 28-year-old admitted that no longer being the strawweight kickboxing world champion was more painful.
"I never wanted to be undefeated. It was never my thing to think about being undefeated. I always wanted to like just fight."
The Team Di Bella Kickboxing star continued:
"I just wanted to go fight the best in the world and be world champion, and what hurt me the most was not being a world champion, you know? The record for me didn't matter."
Jonathan Di Bella had to surrender his strawweight kickboxing world title after falling ill and failing to make weight in his initial booking with Prajanchai.
The opportunity to reclaim 26 pounds of gold slipped through his fingers at ONE Friday Fights 68, where he lost a razor-close decision verdict against the now two-sport kingpin.
ONE Fight Night 26 is a pivotal moment for Jonathan Di Bella's redemption arc
Jonathan Di Bella was initially surprised that his next bout was not an immediate rematch with Prajanchai.
However, the former strawweight kickboxing champ doesn't mind earning a title shot the old-fashioned way by beating a streaking contender.
On Dec. 6, Di Bella will figure in his first non-title bout under the ONE banner against Portugal's Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs Rasulov on Prime Video inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
The Dinamite Team representative has had a career resurgence as of late, winning back-to-back fights against Zhang Peimian and Thongpoon PK Saenchai.
Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch ONE Fight Night 26 free live as it happens in US Primetime
