"I always want to be number one" - Jonathan Di Bella on his competitive nature ahead of all-champ war vs. Prajanchai
To ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella, being equipped with the right mindset goes hand-in-hand with his success as one of the finest strikers of this generation.
The Canadian-Italian star striker returns for his third fight on the global stage of ONE Championship at ONE Friday Fights 58 this Friday, April 5. That evening, the Team Di Bella Kickboxing affiliate faces the division's Muay Thai kingpin Prajanchai PK Saenchai with his strap on the line.
Having stayed perfect in his career thus far at 12-0, many are eager to know how Jonathan Di Bella preps himself for each one of his fights.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post recently, the Montreal native opened up about his mindset leading up to each of his fights, something he admits has been a permanent fixture from the very beginning.
The 27-year-old shared:
"Yeah [the fight game], it's always mental. It's always like, I always want to be first. I always want to be number one, you know. That's why I signed up for this. That's why I signed up in ONE because I wanted to be the best, and like all the best fighters are in ONE, and I always want to be number one."
Watch the full interview here:
As such, he remains as focused as ever to overcome another world-class opposition when he steps inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for his second contest in Bangkok, Thailand.
Thus far, the strawweight kickboxing king has racked up wins over 'Mini T' Danial Williams and 'Fighting Rooster' Zhang Peimian. He aims to make it three in a row versus Prajanchai in the co-main event of ONE Friday Fights 58.
Jonathan Di Bella says win over Prajanchai will take him to the next level
Jonathan Di Bella is one of the best kickboxers today, but the divisional king believes there are still levels that he will need to overcome before he secures his star status at the top of the realm.
And he views his scheduled five-round world title tilt against Prajanchai as another step up before he can move on to his next career goal.
In the same interview, he concluded:
"[Beating Prajanchai] would mean a lot to me. It would show that I'm for real and I'm next level."
ONE Friday Fights 58 will be available live and for free on ONE Championship's YouTube channel, the ONE Super App, or watch.onefc.com in Asia primetime on April 5.