Di Bella Unifies Strawweight Kickboxing Crown After Five-Round Thriller With Prajanchai At ONE Fight Night 36
When interim titleholder Jonathan Di Bella and two-sport king Prajanchai PK Saenchai met in the main event of ONE Fight Night 36 this past Friday, October 3, there was more on the line than just the undisputed ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship.
The two warriors were battling for pride, glory, and all the intangibles that come with holding the most prestigious belt in kickboxing. And because of that, neither man was willing to budge in Bangkok, Thailand.
When the opening stanza began, Di Bella, with eyes locked on his opponent, landed his jab and straight left punch to the face of Prajanchai, leaving the defending divisional ruler furious yet flustered. The Thai couldn’t seem to disrupt the pattern of the rangy fighter’s punches and low kicks, although he tried.
The Italian-Canadian dynamo’s aggressive offense continued in the next round. Prajanchai would try to hop into the pocket and work his boxing, but Di Bella would hop out and continue to throw zingers down the middle.
Fans who follow Prajanchai know one thing – the man with the craftiest counter combinations in all of the striking arts takes a round or two to get going. This night wasn’t any different.
In round three, Prajanchai, who also holds the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title, began reading Di Bella’s sequences of attacks. He found openings in what looked to the layman as an otherwise flawless strategy from the Italian-Canadian.
Left hooks and right punches began to ricochet off Di Bella’s head. Meanwhile, the Thai’s growing inner confidence made his physical presence appear much larger.
By the fourth frame, the interim titleholder and two-sport king filled every corner of the ring with a give-and-take of attacks that tested both men’s chins and hearts. By this time, however, Prajanchai had added in his trademark step-in knees. Di Bella, on the other hand, unleashed his spinning back kicks.
Going into the fifth and final round, the fight seemed like it could have gone either way. Di Bella stormed out of his corner to meet Prajanchai in the middle of the ring and then the chaos ensued. The referee had to peel apart the fighters – both combatants were so eager to get at each other that they nearly walked through one another.
The difference, however, came in output. Di Bella, who never seemed to slow down once, poured on the attacks. Prajanchai tried to defend his throne as any belt holder would, but in the end, all three judges agreed that the Italian-Canadian star had done enough to earn the victory and the undisputed ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship.
With the unanimous decision win, Di Bella also improved his record to 15-1, redeemed himself against the only man to have ever beaten him, and earned a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
