"He comes to fight" - Jonathan Di Bella happy to be matched up against 'offensive' Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 26
Jonathan Di Bella is on a path towards redemption and will make his return to action at ONE Fight Night 26. The former ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion hasn't needed to join the ranks of the contenders ever since he signed with the promotion.
In three consecutive fights with the promotion, the Team Di Bella Kickboxing star has competed only in five-round world championship fights. That was until his latest outing, where he was narrowly beaten by Prajanchai PK Saenchai in a fight that he believed he won.
Now, on Dec. 6, he looks to position himself for a rematch for the strawweight gold by taking out a fellow top contender in Rui Botelho. Jonathan Di Bella may still believe that he's the best in the weight class but that doesn't mean that he's overlooking his next opponent in the slightest.
In a recent interview with ONE Championship, he said that though he doesn't see too many holes in his opponent's game and added that he's expecting him to push the pace:
"As far as his weaknesses, I don't see really many weaknesses, but I see that he's very offensive. He's more offensive than anything. He comes to fight, so that's good."
Jonathan Di Bella has the chance to make a statement
With Jonathan Di Bella making his return to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok next month, it seems that either Prajanchai will face a new challenger or is spending some time on the sidelines.
The former champion cannot afford to become distracted by what is waiting for him on the other side of this fight. Di Bella has the chance to make a statement with his performance by proving that he is deserving of the rematch that he was expecting to be granted.
Make no mistake about it, getting his hand raised must be his one and only focus right now.