Jonathan Di Bella believes he is up against a 'tricky' Rui Botelho in Bangkok: "A very unorthodox fighter"

Former ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella thinks he'd be put to the test against Rui Botelho in their three-round contest at ONE Fight Night 26.

The Team Di Bella Kickboxing star has done his homework on the Portuguese sensation in the lead-up to their strawweight kickboxing duel inside the Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, December 6.

And from what he's seen, the 28-year-old knows he'd be up against someone who could spring a surprise in Bangkok, Thailand.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Jonathan Di Bella broke down Botelho's style, saying:

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"[Botelho is a] very unorthodox fighter. I think he has a lot of power, a lot of speed, a lot of timing. He's very tricky."

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Jonathan Di Bella says focus is on beating Botelho and reclaiming his ONE world title

Despite singing praise for his foe's strength, the Canadian-Italian superstar is fired up to return to winning ways and be at his usual best after suffering a slight hiccup for the first time in his career.

After losing his belt on the scales, Jonathan Di Bella saw his unbeaten streak come to an end against Prajanchai PK Saenchai in their strawweight kickboxing world title tilt at ONE Friday Fights 68 this past June.

Now, he hopes to kill two birds with one stone — secure the victory over Botelho and a chance to run it back with Prajanchai — in his return on December 6.

In the same interview with the promotion, the Quebec native continued:

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"My goal is to get my belt back - for sure, 100 percent to get my belt back. That's my main goal."

Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch Di Bella throw down alongside Botelho and the entire ONE 169 card live in U.S. primetime for free.

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