“Go out there and perform” - Jonathan Di Bella wants to be as perfectly focused as possible for Rui Botelho in Bangkok
Jonathan Di Bella only has one thing on his mind when he returns to the ONE Championship ring.
The former strawweight kickboxing world champion is determined to score a dominant win in his next match when he takes on Rui Botelho at the stacked ONE Fight Night 26 card on Dec. 6, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Di Bella said he's not concerned with any other things let alone a potential world title rematch against Prajanchai PK Saenchai.
Jonathan Di Bella pointed out that he's only focused on tacking another win and would only turn his attention to the ONE strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion once he's done with Botelho in Bangkok.
He said:
"I believe I gotta get a win. Don’t look for any knockouts. Just go out there and perform, focus on Rui, and then whatever is next, is next."
Di Bella is one of the craftiest strikers on the planet, and would gladly adjust his approach depending on his fights play out.
A tactical mastermind, Di Bella captured the vacant ONE strawweight kickboxing world title at ONE 162 when he scored a unanimous decision win over Zhang Peimian.
He then chalked up a successful world title defense against Thai-Australian star Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 15.
Di Bella, however, was stripped of his world title for his supposed defense against Prajanchai at ONE Friday Fights 58 after failing hydration testing due to illness.
The Italian-Canadian had the chance to reclaim the ONE strawweight kickboxing world title but lost to Prajanchai at ONE Friday Fights 68 via a close decision.
ONE Fight Night 26 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Jonathan Di Bella believes a win over Rui Botelho could propel him to a world title shot
Jonathan Di Bella is confident he could take another shot at his old throne if he gets past Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 26.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Di Bella said he needs to get past Botelho if he wants another shot at reclaiming the ONE strawweight kickboxing world title:
"Without beating Rui, there's no title shot for me. So I gotta focus 100 percent on beating Rui because if I don't beat Rui, I don't get my title shot."