"Fighting was a no-brainer" - Jonathan Di Bella on how he went from kicking a ball to trading blows in a ring

Before locking horns with former multiple-time ONE Championship world champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao on March 23 at ONE 172 inside the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, Jonathan Di Bella has recalled his journey from playing football to fighting inside the ring.

During his pre-fight interview with Story of the Fight YouTube channel, Di Bella narrated how he decided to take the path of being a fighter, stating:

"It just happened, you know, I was also a good soccer player. But fighting was a no-brainer. I just had to do it for sure. It was always like, my dad me start watching boxing since I was not even walking yet. And my dad didn't want me to, he gave me a choice. He's like, do you want to fight? Yes or no? I said, yeah."

Check out Jonathan Di Bella's full interview below:

This crucial decision by the 28-year-old has paid massive dividends for him, as he was able to compete around the world, become one of the top names in the kickboxing realm, and capture the ONE strawweight kickboxing world title.

Jonathan Di Bella explains why Sam-A Gaiyanghadao was his dream opponent

During the same talk with Story of the Fight, the Canadian-Italian star also shared the reason why this upcoming showdown with Sam-A was his dream matchup in ONE Championship.

Jonathan Di Bella said that he has been watching him for as long as he can remember and he was an absolute legend:

"It is a dream fight of mine. When I signed with ONE, he was a champion, you know, and my goal was to fight him. And I've been watching him forever, so my goal was to fight him. I was excited to fight him, and then he retired, and I was so mad. I'm like, Ah, I missed my chance to fight him."

Fans can watch all the action at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 via watch.onefc.com. The thrilling card goes down inside the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.