Jonathan Di Bella on Danial Williams’ power: “I didn’t really feel anything”

At ONE Fight Night 15, Jonathan Di Bella made his long-anticipated return to the circle with a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

Debuting at ONE 162 last year, the Italian-Canadian announced himself to ONE Championship fans with a fight-of-the-year contender against Zhang Peimian. Claiming the vacant ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship, the titleholder has been waiting patiently for his first test as the man on top of the mountain.

On October 6, he stepped back into the ring for his first title defense, determined to showcase his skills once again as he squared off against Danial Williams.

A fan favorite for a reason, Williams played his part on fight night, relentlessly coming at the champion to try and test his heart and spirit at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Despite the challenger’s best efforts, Di Bella proved to be a step ahead at all times, showcasing some slick striking with his boxing skills on display in particular. That being said, the champion demands a lot from himself and that perfectionist mindset is what has made him into one of the best in the world.

After defending his belt via the judges’ scorecards, Jonathan Di Bella reflected on his performance during his post-event press conference with ONE Championship. Having felt no danger from the power that was coming back at him, the champion put this factor down to his preparations in the gym and, with that in mind, expected a better performance out of himself on fight night:

“I didn't feel really anything much because I spar and train with heavier guys, like a lot heavier, and the power wasn't really there. I didn't feel much. It was more myself. I didn't like perform as I wanted, but that's it.”

Watch the full post-fight press conference below:

ONE Fight Night 15 is available to watch back in full for free via the event replay on Amazon Prime Video for North American viewers with an active subscription.