Newly crowned undisputed ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella revealed his strategy worked exactly as planned during his unanimous decision victory over Prajanchai PK Saenchai at ONE Fight Night 36 on 4 October.
The Italian-Canadian captured championship glory in a five-round thriller that earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus, improving his record to 15-1 overall.
Speaking at the post-event press conference, Di Bella explained how his corner's instructions proved decisive from the opening moments.
"I listened to my team, did my job. I believe I hurt him right away. They told me to go to the body with punches, and I hurt him right away. That's when I saw his face change, and I just kept going and fighting the whole five rounds," he explained.
The Team Di Bella Kickboxing representative entered the bout with a clear blueprint based on extensive preparation and analysis of the 30-year-old Thai.
His game plan focused heavily on targeting the legs, an approach that produced better results than expected.
"Nothing surprised me. I knew what he was going to do. I was surprised that I landed a lot of clean low kicks, calf kicks, because he knows me already and I'm surprised he was not defending that well," Di Bella said.
The victory was made more meaningful by the presence of his family ringside, continuing a tradition that has supported his entire martial arts journey.
"My mom and my dad supported me my whole career, my whole life, and she always comes to my fights. Every fight she's always ringside, so yeah, it's an honor to have my parents here all the time," the emotional champion shared.
Di Bella's triumph completes his redemption story from their first meeting in June 2024, when he lost via unanimous decision to Prajanchai for the vacant title.
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