Jonathan Di Bella wants to be ‘the best pound-for-pound kickboxer’ before possible MMA or Muay Thai transition 

Italian-Canadian world champion Jonathan Di Bella wants first to solidify his standing as the best in kickboxing before making a possible transition to mixed martial arts or Muay Thai.

The reigning ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion made this clear after his first successful defense of his world title last week at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video in Bangkok.

Jonathan Di Bella took the measure of Australian fireball Daniel Williams, who he dominated in their five-round title clash at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The 27-year-old champion maintained the status quo in his division by remaining on top with a unanimous decision victory.

Asked at the post-event interview session if he would consider fighting in an MMA or Muay Thai match in the near future, he said that it is unlikely at the moment because his sole focus is to become one of the best, if not the best, pound-for-pound kickboxers in the game:

“Maybe, yeah. I was thinking about it. But I want to be one of the best pound-for-pound kickboxers and that’s my goal.”

Check out the interview below:

At ONE Fight Night 15, Jonathan Di Bella made his intentions known right from the get-go. He rocked ‘Mini T’ with telling hits including a solid head kick early on. As the fight progressed, the champion displayed his crisp boxing with much effectiveness to counter the leg kicks thrown by the challenger.

In the final round, Williams tried to engage Di Bella in a slugfest but the champ showed discipline and chose to play it smart by picking his spots with timely combinations.

The win stretched Jonathan Di Bella’s kickboxing record to 12-0, the last two in ONE Championship. He became ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion in October 2022 by beating Chinese phenom Zhang Peimian by unanimous decision in his promotional debut.

Williams, for his part, was sent to his second straight world title fight defeat after falling short in his bid for the flyweight kickboxing gold back in March against reigning title holder Superlek Kiatmoo9.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 15 is available on ONE Championship’s official YouTube page.