ONE Fight Night 26 results and recap: Jonathan Di Bella vs. Rui Botelho

Former ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella made his return to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium on Friday night for a showdown with streaking standout Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 26 on Prime Video.

Di Bella enters the bout coming off the first loss of his run in ONE, coming up short against two-sport king Prajanchai PK Saenchai in June. Standing in his way of a return to the win column was Rui Botelho, a fighter who has recently found his footing on martial arts’ biggest global stage, earning a pair of unlikely back-to-back wins against Zhang Peimian and Thongpoon.

Round 1: Di Bella comes out and immediately takes the center of the ring. Di Bella targets the lead leg of Botelho, landing a couple of quick kicks behind the knee before landing a straight left. Botelho attempts to fire back, but Di Bella lands a right hand that clips Botelho. Di Bella continues to walk his opponent down and lands a body shot before catching Botelho over the top as he attempts to circle away from the ring ropes.

Di Bella looks light on his feet as he fires another nasty leg kick. Botelho swings big, but that only allows Di Bella to land a clean counter to the body. Di Bella throws a leg kick, and Botelho attempts to land with a right hand that clips the former champion. As the 10-second clacker sounds, Di Bella picks up the aggression and lands a few more shots against the ropes before the bell sounds.

Round 2: Di Bella comes out pumping his jab early, and Botelho attempts to respond with a high kick that’s blocked by the Canadian-Italian. Di Bella throws an overhand left that narrowly misses the mark. Di Bella doubles up on the jab and then lands a body shot. Botelho throws another high kick, but aside from that, his offense is few and far between. Botelho catches Di Bella with a counter left, and Di Bella responds with a straight left.

The fighters exchange leg kicks and Botelho throws a couple of high kicks as Di Bella continues to relentlessly move forward. Botelho retreats, and Di Bella calls for him to stand in the center of the ring and swing. Di Bella lands a leg kick before going to the body and then landing a left hand just before the penultimate round ends.

Round 3: Botelho opens the third with a body kick, but Di Bella counters with a right hook. Di Bella banks Botelho into the corner, but then lets him come out, once again calling for Botelho to stand and trade with him center ring. Di Bella stings him with a left. Botelho approaches but fails to throw anything, allowing Di Bella to land another calf kick before going upstairs with a combination.

Botelho throws a body kick and eats a one-two. Botelho again fires a kick to the body of Di Bella followed by another. Di Bella catches the second kick and sweeps Botelho to the mat. Di Bella pump fakes a tornado kick, and Botelho is getting angry, clocking Di Bella with a left hand after the bell. Both fighters need to be separated before Di Bella approaches his opponent and offers a show of respect.

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ONE Fight Night 26 - Jonathan Di Bella vs. Rui Botelho Official Result

After three rounds that saw Di Bella leading the dance the whole way through, all three judges unsurprisingly awarded him the victory via unanimous decision. Di Bella now has his 13th career win and third under the ONE Championship banner.

Asked about the brief scuffle at the end of the fight, Di Bella claimed that Botelho was talking a little trash, but no harm, no foul.

As for what comes next, Di Bella hopes for a rematch with the only man to have beaten him in his career, Prajanchai. He also hopes to fight more often in 2025 and suggested that ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong already has plans to get him more bouts in the new year.

Official Result: Jonathan Di Bella defeated Rui Botelho via (kickboxing - strawweight)