ONE Championship: “My first responsibility is to beat the champion” - Interim kickboxing king Jonathan Di Bella says dethroning Prajanchai is top priority

ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella of Canada and Italy has his sights set on a rematch with former tormentor and current two-sport king Prajanchai PK Saenchai.

Prajanchai is the reigning ONE strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion, and is on a collision course with the interim titleholder.

Speaking to veteran MMA reporter Nick Atkin of Bangkok Post in a recent interview, Di Bella says he's looking to book the Prajanchai rematch sometime later this year.

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He 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."

Prajanchai defeated Di Bella at ONE Friday Fights 68 last June 2024, capturing the vacant strawweight kickboxing gold that Di Bella lost on the scales prior to their fight.

Now, the two are expected to run it back soon in ONE Championship to determine the undisputed ruler of the division.

Jonathan Di Bella anticipates return in possible title unification with Prajanchai: "I’m back training at full speed"

Jonathan Di Bella would rather get right back to work than sit on his laurels, should the call come to face Prajanchai PK Saenchai in a ONE strawweight kickboxing world title unification contest.

Di Bella wants to stay sharp and ready should the fight materialize.

He told Nick Atkin:

"Yeah, I’ve been back training and sparring since my last fight. I’ve been training two weeks after my Sam-A fight. And then I took a vacation for a week, I was still training light, but now I’m back training at full speed."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Jonathan Di Bella's next fight.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by C. Naik