"This is real war" - Fans in pure awe of Jonathan Di Bella's heart-pounding ONE Championship debut against Zhang Peimian

Jonathan Di Bella fighting Zhang Peimian in his promotional debut in October 2022. [Photo via: ONE Championship]
Jonathan Di Bella fighting Zhang Peimian in his promotional debut in October 2022 [Photo via ONE Championship]

ONE Championship fans are still raving about the duel between former ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella and Zhang Peimian over the then-vacant crown in October 2022.

Ad

In an all-out war for the ages, the debuting Di Bella and 'Fighting Rooster' battled each other until the final bell rang in the fifth round. Di Bella's relentless offense and the lone knockdown he scored led him to win the gold via unanimous decision.

Check out the highlights of their fight below, which ONE shared on Instagram:

Ad

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Fans in the comments section praised both fighters for leaving it all out in the circle, writing:

"Both were unbelievably quick."
"Does he look like a young Ramon Dekkers a bit? or is it just me."
"This is real war 🔥👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️"
"@jondibella the best kick boxer of the world!!💯🇮🇹"
"As soon as the ☕☕☕☕☕ kicked in, it was Game Over @jondibella 🤌🏼🤌🏼"
Ad
"Di Bella has Some of the best boxing I've ever seen in kickboxing."
Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]
Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]

After fending off Danial Williams' challenge in October 2023, Di Bella was stripped of the gold in April 2024 for failing the pre-fight hydration test ahead of his scheduled defense against Prajanchai PK Saenchai at ONE Friday Fights 58.

Ad

Rescheduled to June of the same year after Di Bella fell ill, Prajanchai went on to defeat him and claim the then-vacant 125-pound kickboxing world championship.


Jonathan Di Bella set to compete for interim gold

With Jonathan Di Bella hoping to rematch Prajanchai for the undisputed crown, his first step will be to win the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world championship at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23.

Ad

Gunning to take the interim crown for himself is the inaugural 125-pound kickboxing king and Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Zhang Peimian this past November.

ONE 172 will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event will be available live via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Quick Links

Edited by Harvey Leonard
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications