Jonathan Di Bella continues to "practice the basics" ahead of his biggest fight against Prajanchai
ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella is a firm believer in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. After all, it's this beginner's mentality that allowed the 27-year-old to remain undefeated against some of the best strikers in the world.
As he enters perhaps the biggest fight of his life this coming Friday, Jonathan Di Bella preached about not neglecting the basics.
The Canadian-Italian tactician said in an interview with the South China Morning Post:
"I've just been training like normal, doing what I normally do in training. Just keep on doing and practicing the basics and continue what I've always been doing. That's it."
In the penultimate match of ONE Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs. Grigorian II, Jonathan Di Bella will look to keep his 26 pounds of gold against fellow world champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai inside the fabled halls of Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The sensational strawweight Muay Thai world champion will be crossing over to Di Bella's domain in kickboxing in his bid for two-sport supremacy.
While the decorated Prajanchai is no doubt his most formidable challenger yet, don't expect Di Bella to take extreme measures in his training. As far as the Montreal native is concerned, embracing those seemingly mundane fundamentals is the true path to greatness.
Watch the full interview:
Jonathan Di Bella says his confidence comes from beating elite competition
Facing a legend with over 400 career fights to his name may seem intimidating for most, but Jonathan Di Bella remains as cool as a cucumber heading into his second world title defense.
According to the strawweight kickboxing king, this unwavering self-belief does not come from arrogance, but rather from the tough battles he endured over the years.
For instance, Di Bella was pushed to the limit in his two battles under the ONE banner, where he outclassed Zhang Peimian and Danial Williams.
He told SCMP MMA:
"I always fought tough guys and I've always tried to go to the next level. And he's the next level."
ONE Friday Fights 58 is available via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.