Jonathan Di Bella on losing strawweight kickboxing gold: "It was heartbreaking"

Jonathan Di Bella was devastated to discover he was forced to vacate his ONE strawweight kickboxing world title.

Earlier this year, Di Bella was supposed to defend his throne against Prajanchai PK Saenchai in the ONE Friday Fights 58 main event. Although he made weight, the 27-year-old ended up missing hydration and was later rushed to the hospital due to an illness.

Di Bella was stripped of his strawweight kickboxing strap due to the unfortunate scenario, ending his run that began in October 2022. During an interview with ONE, the Italian-Canadian opened up about the "heartbreaking" experience, saying:

"So we went to the hospital, I threw up, they put me back on the bed, they put IVs in me, and I woke up in my hotel room the next day. I don't remember what happened. I was still not feeling well. But then I started realizing I had lost my belt, and I couldn't believe this had happened. As soon as I found out, it was heartbreaking."

Jonathan Di Bella made his ONE Championship debut, defeating Zhang Peimian by unanimous decision for the inaugural strawweight kickboxing world title. A year later, Di Bella returned and defended his throne for the first time by securing another unanimous decision against Danial Williams.

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Jonathan Di Bella looks to reclaim ONE strawweight kickboxing world title against Prajanchai

ONE Championship hasn't given up on the matchup between Jonathan Di Bella and ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Prajanchai. On June 28, the world-class strikers will meet in the ONE Friday Fights 68 main event, with the vacant strawweight kickboxing throne on the line.

Prajanchai, a three-time ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion, is coming off a first-round knockout win against Joseph Lasiri. The Thai superstar returns to kickboxing with plans to become a two-sport world champion.

ONE Friday Fights 68 goes down inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The upcoming spectacle also featuring Superek vs Kongthoranee in the co-main event can be watched via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.