'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Sunday, March 23, ONE Championship heads to the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan for a loaded night of action with ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.
Just before the five-round flyweight kickboxing tussle in the main event gets off to a flyer, former titleholders Jonathan Di Bella and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao do battle to claim the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world title.
There's plenty at stake for both fighters, none more so than a chance to book a ticket at reigning two-sport world champion and divisional king Prajanchai PK Saenchai.
Both warriors succumbed to the technical prowess of the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym superstar, and they're fired up to display their upgrades and send a warning message to the Thai.
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Di Bella had his 0 taken away from him against Prajanchai at ONE Friday Fights 68 in June 2024 in a fight that he thinks he did enough to win.
Living legend Sam A, meanwhile, has gone down twice to the PK Saenchai man, one by majority decision and, most recently, a second-round knockout loss at ONE Friday Fights 22.
That minor dent in Di Bella and Sam-A's tenure in ONE Championship aside, they've displayed striking clinics every time on assignment inside the circle.
The Team Di Bella Kickboxing star owns dominant wins over Rui Botelho, Danial Williams, and Zhang Peimian.
Sam-A, a 375-win veteran, has nine triumphs in the organization to go with the strawweight Muay Thai, strawweight kickboxing, and flyweight Muay Thai gold he attained in ONE Championship.
As much as we would love to see both man get their hand raised, sadly, only one can prevail with the win in 'The Land of the Rising Sun' at ONE 172 on March 23.
ONE 172 prediction: Jonathan Di Bella to beat Sam-A Gaiyanghadao by decision
It's hard to imagine someone as complete and legendary as Sam-A losing, but that ought to be the case in this gem of a tie alongside Jonathan Di Bella at ONE 172.
That said, Sam-A's all-around brilliance will make life difficult for the ever-fluid Canadian-Italian.
The 41-year-old veteran has the ability to fight while moving backward and can make in-fight adjustments with ease, which is a nightmare for anyone standing across from him.
He'll do that pretty efficiently for the first two rounds, but I see Di Bella similarly baiting him while inflicting significant damage in the remaining rounds.
Sam-A is undoubtedly one of the most respected strikers in the striking realm, but age is catching up, and that will become increasingly evident the deeper their tussle goes at ONE 172.
Di Bella has all the tools needed to pull off a commanding win over the Muay Thai specialist. He's proven to be on a different level than the other contenders in the strawweight kickboxing division, and it should carry him to a comfortable win on the judges' scorecard at ONE 172.
Besides Sam-A and Di Bella's meeting, four more world titles will be on the line on the promotion's debut show in Saitama, Japan.
ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will be available to fight fans via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com this Sunday, March 23.
