“Tough to finish a guy like that” - Liam Harrison says Jonathan Di Bella shouldn’t feel bad about not finishing Sam-A 

A finish would have been nice, but beating the legendary Sam-A on the scorecards is still an achievement not many could claim to have. According to Liam Harrison, expecting anyone to stop the Thai icon is asking a lot - especially with Sam-A's long list of achievements:

"Even if you got a guy like that (Sam-A) in trouble, they’ve got the experience and the sneakiness just to be able to survive and get themselves back at it," he told Nick Atkin in a ONE 172 reaction video. "It’s tough to finish a guy like that unless you knock them flat out with one punch or a big elbow like Prajanchai did, then it’s going to be tough to finish him."

While Jonathan Di Bella may not have walked away with a knockout at ONE 172 in Japan, a win over the legend still says a lot about his caliber.

Watch the full video below:

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“It was an honor to fight him” - Jonathan Di Bella grateful to have faced Thai legend Sam-A at iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan

Jonathan Di Bella has never been shy about his admiration for Sam-A. So when he finally got the chance to share the ring with the Thai striker, it felt like a win in itself.

"I did my best, and I knew he was going to be very strong, and I feel like he's one of the strongest hitters in the division," Di Bella said. "And out of all the guys, I thought he was one of the hardest strikers. So, yeah, it was an honor to fight him."

Winning the interim ONE strawweight kickboxing belt in Saitama Super Arena made the night more special. For Jonathan Di Bella, it was a full-circle moment, a real inspiration-to-competition moment.

ONE 172 is available via replay on watch.onefc.com.