“It’s been there forever” - Jonathan Di Bella raves about Saitama Super Arena’s massive impact on combat sports culture

Former ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella is excited to fulfill his dream of finally competing at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan later this month. He said the venue has been huge for the combat sports culture that it is going to be an honor and a privilege to showcase his skills at the historic venue.

The Italian-Canadian fighter is featured at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the multipurpose indoor Saitama arena. He will battle fellow former strawweight kickboxing king Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the division's interim belt.

It is one of five world title fights on offer at the marquee event, which will mark the return of ONE Championship to Japan for the second straight year.

Jonathan Di Bella spoke about the opportunity given to him to compete at the Saitama Super Arena, telling the promotion in an interview:

“It’s a dream come true. Saitama Super Arena is a legendary arena for kickboxing and all combat sports because it’s been there forever."

The 36,500-capacity Saitama Super Arena has been up since 2000 and has been a favorite for Japanese pro wrestling and mixed martial arts events. It also hosts other sports events like boxing, basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey and gymnastics.

Meanwhile, at ONE 172, Jonathan Di Bella seeks to put himself in position to return to the top of the strawweight kickboxing division after being stripped of the championship belt for missing weight in a scheduled title defense. He eventually failed to regain it against current divisional king Prajanchai PK Saenchai in their battle for the then-vacant belt in June last year, losing by decision.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang is available live on pay-per-view via watch.onefc.com.

Jonathan Di Bella psyched to battle fellow former world champion Sam-A at ONE 172

Apart from competing at Saitama Super Arena, Jonathan Di Bella is also psyched to see action at ONE 172 as he is up against fellow former world champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao.

He spoke about it in a recent appearance on Story of the Fight in line with his upcoming showdown versus the Thai legend for the interim strawweight kickboxing world title, describing it as going to be a crazy fight.

The Montreal native said:

"When I saw I was fighting on that card, I was like, 'Oh, I'm playing on a big card.' It's going to be crazy. And I'm already thinking about what's going to be there during the event week, fight week, and stuff."

Watch the interview below:

Di Bella enters ONE 172 off a decision victory over Rui Botelho of Portugal in his last fight back in December.