"I knew he was going to be a tough fighter" - Jonathan Di Bella revisits his last battle against "tough dude" Danial Williams

Jonathan Di Bella is set to return at ONE Friday Fights 58 for what will be the second title defense of his run in ONE Championship.

After winning the vacant title on his debut in an instant classic with Zhang Peimian, Di Bella stepped foot back inside the ring at ONE Fight Night 15. His opponent on that night was multi-sport competitor Danial Williams, who is well known for his fighting spirit and toughness.

Despite a clinical and controlled performance from the champion, he was unable to get 'Mini T' out of there because of those same attributes.

Ahead of April 5, Di Bella told Tim Wheaton of Calf Kick Sports that he expected Williams to be a tough competitor to finish and he lived up to those expectations last October:

"He's a tough dude, man. He's a good guy, a good fighter and he was tough even like in Muay Thai, he doesn't go down, even with the smaller gloves, so imagine kickboxing where the gloves are a lot bigger. I knew he was going to be a tough fighter."

Watch the full interview below:

---

Jonathan Di Bella knows he can apply the same mentality in his return

Knowing that Danial Williams was not going to go away quietly, Jonathan Di Bella fought very smart in his last title defense. Given the power that will be coming back at him at ONE Friday Fights 58, his next bout would appear to be the same.

ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Prajanchai will look to become a two-sport world champion on April 5 when he challenges Di Bella for the kickboxing crown.

Di Bella will be well aware that one mistake could cost him this fight and with that in mind, staying focused for all five rounds could be the difference between getting his hand raised or not.

ONE Friday Fights 58 will air live in Asian primetime on global PPV via watch.onefc.com