Jonathan Di Bella says he never took it easy to prep for Sam-A world title tiff at ONE 172: "It was all business"

Canadian-Italian striking superstar Jonathan Di Bella admitted that fighting Sam-A made him experience mixed emotions since he was one of his favorite fighters.

Di Bella and Sam-A went head-to-head for the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world title last Sunday at ONE 172 inside Saitama Super Arena in Japan, and the former scored a unanimous decision win over the latter to capture the 26-pound golden belt.

During the ONE 172 post-event press conference, the newly minted strawweight interim world champion admitted that he needed to set aside his admiration for the Thai legend to get the job done, as he stated:

"I trained very hard for him, and it was hard to fight one of your favorite fighters but in the ring, I took it all, like everything comes out of there, and it was all business."

Watch the full ONE 172 post-event press conference here:

This latest win has allowed the 28-year-old superstar to earn his shot against double champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai in a championship rematch in the foreseeable future for the division's undisputed crown.

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Jonathan Di Bella claims that he made a statement at ONE 172 by beating Sam-A

For the Team Di Bella Kickboxing-affiliated athlete, that triumph over the former multiple-time world champion has sent strong shockwaves throughout the division because Sam-A previously defeated two other top contenders in the weight class.

According to Di Bella, he was able to make a statement and left no doubt about his position as the division's interim titleholder, as he said during the ONE 172 post-event press conference:

"Tonight for me, I fought a legend in Sam-A, he's on a two-fight crazy winning streak. He fought two top guys, and it meant a lot for me to prove a statement and get the job done."

Fans can rewatch all the action from the ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang PPV card via watch.onefc.com.