He may have been pushed into the biggest fight of his career, but Jonathan Di Bella is to make sure he doesn’t let too much hype get into his mind. Di Bella will fight Zhang Peimian for the vacant ONE straw kickboxing world championship belt at ONE 162 on October 21, local time, at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.
Going into his first fight, Di Bella admits he doesn’t feel the pressure of the situation and that he sees his fight for the world title against Zhang as just another one. Jonathan Di Bella, in an interview with South China Morning Post’s Tom Taylor says:
“No pressure. I treat it like a regular fight at the end of the day. The belt is just a bonus. I always keep an eye on this belt. I believe I will be a kickboxing champion since I was a kid. being a child. It’s going to happen eventually.”
Di Bellawho has been training in kickboxing since he was two years old, is entering the biggest opportunity of his career as he fights for the ONE straw kickboxing world title, the belt has been vacant ever since Sam-A Gaiyanghadao retires in February 2022. However, the 26-year-old is one of the most dangerous strikers in the world, having won the ISKA world championship and five wins in Glory Kickboxing.
Meanwhile, Zhang is one of the brightest kickboxing stars of the current era. The 19-year-old tennis player from Shenzhen, China, owns a 16-1-1 record and is 2-0 in ONE Championship. The ‘Fighting Rooster’ sent Josh Tonna and Aslanbek Zikreev in his march to contest the world title.
Jonathan Di Bella is hyped for the upcoming confrontation with Zhang
The son of a kickboxing world champion, Jonathan Di Bella knows that being the best in the sport requires the toughest attitude.
The Italian-Canadian star is aware that being a world champion has its own challenges and he is ready to overcome those hurdles to realize his dream of winning gold in ONE Championship.
Di Bella, in just her first match for promotion, will face Zhang for the vacant ONE straw kickboxing world championship. He wants nothing more than to test his skills against someone he considers the best in the world.
In one SCMP interview, he said:
“It makes me very excited. I know he’s number 1 in the world right now. I signed up for this sport to compete at the highest level. I’m not here to play. I’m here to fight everyone. “
