Joseph Lasiri says Zhang Peimian deserves another shot against Jonathan Di Bella

ONE strawweight Muay Thai king Joseph Lasiri is highly impressed with China's Zhang Peimian and is interested to see him battle kickboxing mastermind Jonathan Di Bella at some point down the line.

'The Fighting Rooster' is a 19-year-old kickboxing phenom who battled for the strawweight crown against the unbeaten Italian-Canadian Jonathan Di Bella. Di Bella put on a kickboxing masterclass to earn the strawweight throne.

On March 24 at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video, Peimian will look to get back in the win column and work his way back to another shot at the world title. ONE Fight Night events are broadcast live and for free in North America via Prime Video.

Italy's Joseph Lasiri was highly impressed with Jonathan Di Bella in his match against Zhang Peimian. While speaking in an interview with Volt Lozada of The MMA Superfan, 'The Hurricane' said:

"I like this guy [Peimian], big heart, never stops with his combinations. It’s a good opportunity in ONE Championship to have champions like him. But Jonathan Di Bella, it was like nobody expected this guy fighting like this fast, this clever. I very much enjoyed that fight and I am a fan of Jon Di Bella."

Lasiri continued:

"But I think Zhang deserves another chance for the title. If he wins this fight, for sure they’ll put him against Jonathan Di Bella for the second time, I’m sure about that."

See the full interview below:

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Zhang Peimian is seeking ONE gold

Zhang Peimian agrees with the assessment from Joseph Lasiri. With a win on March 24 at ONE Fight Night 8, the Chinese-born striker is hoping to battle for ONE gold in the future.

On Friday, Peimian will face 20-year-old Russian Torepchi Dongak. While speaking in an interview with ONE, he said:

“[I want] Di Bella because he holds my belt. No one gets me more interested than him... To get another world title shot, I have to put together a winning streak. So this fight, or the next, or maybe if the promotion thinks I need three more shots before I get the rematch, I must win them all. We are targeting the belt, and everything before that is just a stumbling block.”