“I will do my best to make up for lost time” - Sam-A thirsting for final run at ONE gold vs Jonathan Di Bella at ONE 172

Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao has some unfinished business inside the Circle.

Following an impressive performance against Zhang Peimian at ONE 169 in Bangkok, Sam-A will step back into the spotlight on Sunday, March 23, when ONE Championship heads to the iconic Saitama Super Arena for ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.

In one of five scheduled title tilts, Sam-A will square off with Canadian-Italian superstar Jonathan Di Bella to crown a ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world champion.

At 41 years old, some would say that Sam-A's best days are behind him, but even after 375 career wins to his credit, the former two-division ONE world champion believes he still has plenty of fight left in him.

“I feel that my job wasn’t done properly here," he told ONE Championship in a recent interview. "This time, I will come back to nail everything. And I will do my best to make up for lost time.”

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Sam-A knows just how good Jonathan Di Bella is

While Sam-A goes into ONE 172 with an unparalleled resume and a heap of motivation, the Thai faces an undeniably tough test when he meets one of kickboxing's most gifted stars.

“Di Bella is a skilled fighter," Sam-A said. "He often throws punches in combinations. He has a real kickboxing style."

Di Bella stormed into ONE Championship in 2022 and immediately made waves with impressive wins over Zhang Peimian and Danial Williams—capturing the ONE strawweight MMA world championship along the way.

Since then, Di Bella has lost his 26 pounds of gold, but a big bounce-back victory over Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 26 in December has him back on track and ready to add another world title to his collection.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.