“We were training together” - Jonathan Di Bella reveals combat sports legend he trained with in his dad’s gym

Jonathan Di Bella looked back on his time training with the legendary Georges St-Pierre as a teenager.

At 28 years old, Di Bella has solidified himself as one of the most talented and entertaining strawweight kickboxers on the planet. Di Bella's evolution as a fighter didn't happen overnight. The Canadian-Italian has spent many years improving his striking skills.

During an interview with 'Story of the Fight,' Di Bella had this to say about once training with Georges St-Pierre, one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time:

"Oh, I was young. Yeah, I don't get [startstruck] that often. I grew up around Georges St-Pierre while he was on a hot streak. We were training together in the same room. I was, like, 14-15, and I've been training alongside him. It's not like I've seen everything right now, I believe I'm kind of used to it."

Jonathan Di Bella made his ONE Championship debut in October 2022, defeating Zhang Peimian for the inaugural strawweight kickboxing world title.

One year later, Di Bella defended his throne for the first and only time against Danial Williams (unanimous decision).

In June 2024, Di Bella was dethroned from his world title due to a unanimous decision defeat against two-sport world champion Prajanchai.

The Canadian-Italian has since returned to the win column with a highly entertaining unanimous decision win against Rui Botelho.

Watch Di Bella's entire interview with 'Story of the Fight' below:

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Jonathan Di Bella looks to capture interim world title at ONE 172

On March 23, Jonathan Di Bella will face the legendary Sam-A at ONE 172.

There are added stakes between the two world-class strikers, as they are scheduled to battle for the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world title.

Both fighters have a history with strawweight kickboxing king Prajanchai. Therefore, the Thai superstar will keep a close eye to see who emerges victorious next month to set up a unification bout.

ONE 172 goes down inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The main event showcases a historic non-title flyweight kickboxing bout between global combat sports superstars Takeru Segawa and Rodtang.

The March 23 spectacle also features five world title fights, including a bantamweight Muay Thai unification matchup in the co-main event between Superlek and Nabil Anane.