Jonathan Di Bella’s Reclamation Project

A singular focus propels Jonathan Di Bella into the unknown: Recapture the ONE Championship title he never surrendered in competition.

Di Bella will face Prajanchai PK Saenchai for the vacant strawweight kickboxing championship in the ONE Friday Fights 68 main event this Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The Canadian relinquished his hold on the 125-pound throne due to a failed hydration test in April, which resulted in the cancellation of the first scheduled bout between the two men.

“I got sick prior to leaving for Thailand,” Di Bella told Sherdog.com. “I believe I had COVID, and I still wanted to fight. I felt good before leaving. I thought I felt better. I got to Thailand, and I started feeling a little bit better. I did the weight cut, and my symptoms came back. I tried to do the weight cut. I made the weight easy. I passed the weight at 125 pounds—I was even under 124 pounds—but I did not pass the hydration test.

“I didn’t pass because I was sick and my urine was dark and I was dehydrated from being sick,” he added. “That’s what happened. I lost my belt from being sick and dehydrated and not passing the hydration test, unfortunately. I was in the hospital for a few nights after I got sick after the weigh-ins, so the fight got rescheduled.”

Di Bella carries an unwavering respect for his opponent. Prajanchai owns a 5-1 record in ONE Championship—it boosts his overall mark to a ridiculous 340-52-3—and already holds the company’s strawweight muay thai belt. A multiple-time Lumpinee Stadium and Rajadamnern Stadium champion, he enters his showdown with Di Bella on a four-fight winning streak. Prajanchai, 29, last competed at ONE Friday Fights 46, where he wiped out Joseph Lasiri with an elbow strike 88 seconds into their Dec. 22 rematch.

“Prajanchai is very skilled,” Di Bella said. “He’s one of the best strikers to ever come out of Thailand. I’m going to be ready, and I’m excited to fight a legend like him.”

Di Bella continues to train under his father, Angelo, in Montreal. The formula has worked throughout his career, as evidenced by his 12-0 record as a professional kickboxer.

“We just train, us two,” Di Bella said. “The preparation is always the same: basics, hard work, dedication and discipline. That’s all we do.”

While Di Bella has not yet mapped out his future much beyond Prajanchai, he does have a clear strategy moving forward in ONE Championship.

“My plan in the organization is to stay in my weight class at 125 pounds because I don’t have to cut too much weight,” he said. “I’m fine with the weight. I want to stay in kickboxing for now. In the future, maybe [we do] a muay thai fight, but right now, I want to stick to kickboxing, get my title back and defend it as much as I can.”