'%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,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMljij//xAAhEAEAAgECBwEAAAAAAAAAAAABAwQFACECEhMiQVGD0v/aAAgBAQABPwDG4wvZOyXJhmyxJGSkZxdM3R5UN+z3pqHizVT6fjX/xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAEL/2gAIAQIBAT8A0l//xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIh/9oACAEDAQE/AKWH/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jonathan Di Bella has seen his popularity surge following an impressive showing at ONE 172 in Saitama, Japan.
The Canadian-Italian star once again felt the weight of 26 pounds of gold around his waist inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena, defeating Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao to capture the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world championship.
The win made him a ONE world titleholder for the second time in his relatively short run with the promotion.
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Furthermore, the victory appears to have turned Di Bella into a global phenomenon, with Japanese fans flocking to the elite-level striker on social media with praise and support. In an interview with Nick Atkin, Di Bella said:
"Yeah, I feel like a lot of people recognize my skill level and they love me, especially in Japan, because I came out in a uniform, the Karate Gi".
"So, you know, I had a lot of Japanese fans messaging me, they were sending me emojis, texts that I had to translate. So, yeah. It definitely grew after that fight."
Jonathan Di Bella's top priority is a rematch against Prajanchai
After becoming a ONE world champion once again, the next item on Jonathan Di Bella's list is vengeance.
Last year, Di Bella suffered the first loss of his combat sports career against two-sport king Prajanchai at ONE Friday Fights 68 in Bangkok.
Since then, the Canadian-Italian has been chomping at the bit to run it back and avenge his lone defeat.
With the win over Sam-A at ONE 172, Di Bella has guaranteed himself a title unification clash with the reigning ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion and an opportunity for redemption. Di Bella said:
"As an interim champion, my first responsibility is to beat the champion. But if he wants to fight other guys, yeah, I don’t mind defending my interim title if that’s what it is".
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.
