“You can never rule out a legend” - Johan Ghazali says Sam-A could dish out a vintage display vs Jonathan Di Bella in Japan

Johan Ghazali thinks it would be a big mistake to look past Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao.

With more than 400 career fights and multiple world title reigns on his resume, the 41-year-old Sam-A has nothing left to prove. Still, that hasn't stopped him from giving it his all every time he steps onto martial arts' biggest global stage.

That will be no different on Sunday, March 23, when he heads to the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan for a clash with Jonathan Di Bella at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang—the winner leaving as the new ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world champion.

Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Ghazali believes that we could see Sam-A lean on his vast experience and score a big win over the Canadian-Italian star.

"It’ll be interesting to see how Sam-A uses his experience to overcome or, you know, trick Jonathan Di Bella," Ghazali said. "Despite Jonathan Di Bella’s advantages, you can never rule out a legend."

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Jonathan Di Bella determined to reclaim kickboxing crown against Sam-A at ONE 172

While most of Sam-A's work has been in the art of eight limbs, the Thai has shown flashes of brilliance in eight-ounce gloves.

Sam-A currently holds wins over Wang Junguang and Zhang Peimian in kickboxing, the most recent of which came in November 2024 and set the stage for his showdown with Di Bella at ONE 172.

Meanwhile, Di Bella will be going into his fourth title fight since signing with ONE.

He previously held the undisputed ONE strawweight kickboxing world title but was stripped of the strap after failing to make weight for a scheduled title defense against Prajanchai last year. If he comes out on top against Sam-A, he'll likely meet ONE strawweight kickboxing world titleholder Prajanchai later this year in hopes of trading in his interim title for undisputed gold.

Who comes out on top when a pair of generational stars go toe-to-toe in The Land of the Rising Sun?

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.