“Stop making excuses” - Jonathan Di Bella and Prajanchai’s rivalry reaching fever pitch ahead of inevitable title unification match

Jonathan Di Bella and Prajanchai PK Saenchai's rivalry is slowly heading into molten territory.

There's no official date, but Di Bella and Prajanchai are set for a highly anticipated unification showdown for the undisputed ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship.

In an interview with the promotion, both fighters exchanged scathing remarks against one another following Di Bella's victory over the legendary Sam-A for the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world title at ONE 172 in Japan.

Prajanchai said:

"His performance wasn't good enough. He lacks the killer instinct. Sam-A's leg was injured since Round 1, so he should've gone for the knockout. Sam-A was barely able to stand."

Di Bella, though, did not take kindly to his rival's criticisms and told Prajanchai to take care of the paperwork for their looming unification showdown.

The Italian-Canadian sensation said:

"Stop making excuses and fight me."

Prajanchai and Jonathan Di Bella have been embroiled in a deep feud since the middle of 2024.

Di Bella was supposed to defend the ONE strawweight kickboxing world title at ONE Friday Fights 58 in April 2024, but was stripped of the gold after failing his hydration test.

After recovering from a medical scare, Di Bella eventually took on the reigning ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion at ONE Friday Fights 68 in June.

The match was an absolute classic, which had the Bangkok crowd at Lumpinee Stadium on the edge of their seats until Dom Lau announced the judges' decision.

Neither man gave an inch for 15 minutes, and Prajanchai's unanimous decision win is still being debated to this day.

Some fans believe that Jonathan Di Bella's calculated approach deserved recognition, while other supporters were confident that Prajanchai's aggression won him the fight.

Di Bella ultimately secured his rematch against his bitter rival after he dominated Sam-A for the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world title.

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Prajanchai admits he wanted to talk to Jonathan Di Bella at ONE 172

They may be bitter rivals, but Prajanchai and Jonathan Di Bella maintain a high level of respect with one another.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Prajanchai revealed that he wanted to talk to Di Bella during ONE 172.

Prajanchai was in attendance during the event at Saitama Super Arena, but didn't get to meet his rival due to conflicting schedules. He said:

"No, I didn't have the chance to talk to him. I actually didn't get a chance to just meet him face to face, because I was there a little bit later during the fight week. Yeah, I really wanted to see him, though."