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Kickboxing star Jonathan Di Bella only has one thing in mind as his ONE promotional debut looms. He just wants to win by any means necessary and walk out of the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the vacant ONE strawweight kickboxing world title.
The Italian-Canadian striker will have the opportunity to strike gold in his first match inside the circle as he tangles with Zhang Peimian in the main event of ONE 162 on October 21.
We’ve witnessed a lot of new fighters join ONE by guaranteeing knockouts in their debut matches. Jonathan Di Bella, however, is cut from a different cloth.
When asked by SMCP’s Tom Taylor if he’ll be gunning for a finish against his Chinese foe, the 26-year-old offered an unassuming response. He said:
“We’ll see on fight night. Can’t wait. Just fight, like what I usually do. Let everything happen. I’m not looking for anything, not looking for knockouts. I’m just going to fight.”
Jonathan Di Bella’s rather courteous remarks come out of respect for a formidable opponent like Zhang. After all, ‘The Fighting Rooster’ has looked sensational in his first two fights inside the circle.
The 19-year-old phenom made a statement in his ONE debut by dispatching Josh Tonna with unforgiving body shots this past February. He kept that momentum going with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Aslanbek Zikreev at ONE 159. Then again, don’t mistake Di Bella’s passivity for weakness. After all, the decorated striking savant is extremely confident in his abilities as well.
Before accepting the offer to join the world’s largest martial arts organization, Jonathan Di Bella went undefeated under several kickboxing promotions. He even dabbled in professional boxing from time to time. Despite possessing the ability to knock his opponents out, Di Bella prefers to let the fight come naturally to him.
He added:
“You have to be prepared for anything in a fight. You can’t prepare for just one thing, you have to be ready for multiple things.”
Watch Jonathan Di Bella’s full interview with SMCP MMA below:
Jonathan Di Bella has been keeping tabs on Zhang Peimian
A self-confessed astute student of the game, Jonathan Di Bella said he’s had his eye on the young Chinese star for quite some time now. The Team Di Bella Kickboxing product has been fixated with ONE since it began hosting striking-exclusive fights. Considering they are in the same division, he knew he’ll cross paths with Zhang one way or the other.
While drawing a dangerous opponent like Zhang in his debut, no less is a tough task, Di Bella wouldn’t have it either way. He told SMCP MMA in the same interview:
"When I saw him fight Josh Tonna, I had my eyes on him. I knew I was going to end up fighting him as soon as he beat Tonna. I kept preparing myself, he was the guy I’m going to face next. I saw him in his last fight, and he did well. So here I am, facing him."
