ONE 172: Jonathan Di Bella fixated on booking spot on upcoming US card: “My goal for sure is to fight in the United States”

Jonathan Di Bella fixated on booking spot on upcoming US card: “My goal for sure is to fight in the United States”

Modified Mar 22, 2025 10:31 GMT

Jonathan Di Bella - Photo by ONE Championship

Former undisputed ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella of Canada and Italy has big plans for his time in ONE Championship, especially this year.

Ahead of one of his biggest fights ever this weekend, Di Bella is looking forward to potentially landing a spot on the upcoming ONE Championship event in Denver, Colorado in August.

Speaking in a recent interview with Combat Sports Today, Di Bella also talked about potentially bringing ONE Championship to the fabled Madison Square Garden, which he says would be a dream come true.

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The Team Di Bella Kickboxing representative said:

"Yeah, my goal for sure is to fight in the United States. The States is my home - I grew up fighting in New York. Hopefully, one day, ONE Championship will come to Madison Square Garden. That’s my second dream for venues - to come back and fight in the big room in MSG, that will be cool."

If he wins this weekend and is able to become a ONE world champion again, it may soon bring him closer to realizing this dream.

Jonathan Di Bella to battle Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for interim strap at ONE 172 in Japan

It may not be the United States, but Jonathan Di Bella's next venue is just as prestigious.

Di Bella is set to face Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world title this weekend.

The two face off in a five-round showdown at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, which will be broadcast live from the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, this Sunday, March 23.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by C. Naik