‘My Dream Fight’ – Jonathan Di Bella Can’t Wait To Battle The Legendary Sam-A At Saitama Super Arena
At ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, former ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella will have the opportunity to play out one of his childhood dreams – and win 26 pounds of gold in the process.
On Sunday, March 23, the Italian-Canadian star will battle legendary Thai veteran Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the ONE Interim Strawweight Kickboxing World Title at the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
A lifelong martial artist who began his training in Kyokushin karate under his father, Di Bella has long envisioned competing in front of a rapt Japanese crowd at Saitama Super Arena – a venue that has hosted a number of the biggest fights in combat sports history.
What’s more, Di Bella will be fighting against one of the striking world’s most decorated and respected figures.
The Montreal native spoke to onefc.com about the magnitude of the opportunity:
“It’s a dream come true. Saitama Super Arena is a legendary arena for kickboxing and all combat sports because it’s been there forever. I used to watch all the old fights, all the old kickboxing fights on videos when I was young, and it was always at the Saitama Super Arena. I was shocked when I got the call to fight in Japan.
“It’s really a nice venue and a dream come true, especially fighting Sam-A there. A legend. My dream fight against Sam-A, and the Saitama Super Arena is going to be a perfect location.”
Di Bella is right to call Sam-A a “legend.”
After all, the 41-year-old is a former multi-division, multi-sport ONE World Champion who has enjoyed an incredible 30-year career that has cemented him as an all-time great.
Given the Thai’s lengthy tenure at the highest level, it’s no surprise that Di Bella has been watching him compete since he was a child. And when he first arrived at ONE back in 2022, the 28-year-old was already envisioning a potential matchup between them:
“I’ve been watching [Sam-A] fight since I was young. I’m excited to fight him. It’s like a dream fight of mine.
“When I signed to ONE Championship, he was the champion at the time. I was looking forward to getting fights and working my way up to fight him eventually, but then he retired.”
Indeed, Sam-A briefly stepped away from competition, only to return in 2023. He then quickly regained top form, defeating young stars Akram Hamidi and Zhang Peimian to earn this Interim World Title fight.
For his part, Di Bella immediately made waves in the world’s largest martial arts organization. He defeated Zhang in his promotional debut to claim the vacant ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title and successfully defended it one time before dropping a closely contested decision to Thai megastar Prajanchai PK Saenchai.
Di Bella has since bounced back to the win column, and with Prajanchai currently focusing his efforts on Muay Thai, the stage is set for an epic showdown with Sam-A:
“It’ll mean the world to win against Sam-A, a legend, in that arena, in Japan. You know, winning a World Title against him, that’s a dream come true.”
Di Bella Hoping To ‘Give Fans A War’
The clash between Jonathan Di Bella and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao at ONE 172 will pit two of the planet’s most technically skilled and well-rounded strikers against each other.
While both men possess seemingly unmatched fight IQ and a deep bag of tricks, Di Bella anticipates a frantic firefight as soon as one competitor begins to find success:
“We could start off technical, and then after one shot, somebody can get hurt, and we could start going at it.
“Anything can happen in this type of fight because it’s such a high-level fight. The first round could be tactical, and as it goes on, we build up to the fifth round, and then we start going at it.”
The Italian-Canadian aims to pick up the win however possible and leave Japan with the interim gold.
Still, he hopes to stage an unforgettable battle that is fitting for one of the most iconic venues in combat sports.
Di Bella added:
“I think it’s going to be a tactical fight until somebody lands a hard shot, and then we’re just gonna start trading and start going at it in the middle of the ring.
“Hopefully, we just start and trade and give fans a war. I hope for that. I really hope for that.”
