Jonathan Di Bella says his “villain” is finally coming back for revenge.
The Italian-Canadian will make the first defence of his second ONE Championship strawweight kickboxing title reign against Zhang Peimian at The Inner Circle 22 on July 17 at Lumpinee Stadium.
The fight was announced earlier this week, but Di Bella told the Bangkok Post there is still unfinished business with a Chinese rival who has spent almost four years chasing another shot at him.
“Let’s run it back,” Di Bella said.
“I feel like I’m the superhero, and now my villain is coming back for revenge.”
Di Bella and Zhang first met at ONE 162 in Kuala Lumpur in October 2022, when the Italian-Canadian made his promotional debut.
The vacant strawweight kickboxing title was on the line that night, and Di Bella claimed it with a unanimous decision after a fifth-round head kick knockdown helped seal the result.
Di Bella has since become a two-time champion, with major victories over Thai legends Prajanchai PK Saenchai and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, as well as a shutout against Rui Botelho.
Jonathan Di Bella celebrates after beating Zhang Peimian by unanimous decision at ONE 162
Zhang, by contrast, has had a less straightforward road back to the belt.
The Chinese contender has gone 4-3 since his defeat by Di Bella, with that run including two split decision losses to Portugal’s Botelho – who may feel he has his own revenge claim against the Italian-Canadian.
Zhang frequently called for “revenge” against Di Bella, but could not back up his words with consistent results.
Back-to-back wins over Thongpoon PK Saenchai and Ellis Barboza have now changed that.
Zhang outpointed Thailand’s Thongpoon in November and Britain’s Ellis Barboza in February, putting himself back in title contention and earning the second chance at gold he has long demanded.
He did not issue a formal callout after beating Barboza, but he did not shy away from the Di Bella fight either.
“I will let ONE Championship arrange everything for me,” Zhang said. “I’m not scared of anyone. Di Bella, I know you want to fight. I can fight you or I can fight anyone.”
Jonathan Di Bella throws a high kick at ONE Championship rival Zhang Peimian
Di Bella has not fought since regaining the belt from Prajanchai last October, when he produced a masterclass to win a unanimous decision.
He told the Bangkok Post in February that he already had a “date and a location” for the first defence of his second title reign, with a bout believed to have been targeted for Tokyo in April.
There had also been speculation online over whether Di Bella could move up for a champion-versus-champion superfight with flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Superlek addressed the possibility last month when asked by the Bangkok Post about a potential title defence against surging flyweight contender Taiki Naito, as well as a possible clash with Di Bella.
“Yes, I’m ready [for Naito],” Superlek said. “That would be great.”
“[A Di Bella matchup] can happen too,” he added. “That sounds good. Actually, I would prefer it to be a superfight [with Di Bella].”
For now, though, Di Bella has business to settle in his own division.
And for Zhang, after almost four years of calling for revenge, the wait is finally over.
