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Nearly four years after their first war, the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title changes hands or stays put on July 17
Jonathan Di Bella defends his ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title against Zhang Peimian on Friday, July 17, in the main event of The Inner Circle 22 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. Di Bella vs Zhang Peimian closes a chapter that opened nearly four years ago, when a 19 year old Zhang pushed the then unbeaten Di Bella to the brink in one of the most competitive kickboxing title fights the promotion has produced.
How The Di Bella vs Zhang Peimian Rivalry Began
Di Bella and Zhang first met at ONE 162 in October 2022. The vacant title was on the line, and Di Bella was making his promotional debut after roughly three years away from competition, a stretch disrupted by the pandemic that briefly pushed him toward retirement. Zhang, by contrast, walked in as the division’s most hyped prospect, fresh off winning the Road to ONE China tournament and finishing his first two ONE opponents.
The five round fight lived up to the buildup. Zhang matched Di Bella exchange for exchange and led on all three scorecards heading into the final round. Then Di Bella landed a head kick knockdown that swung the fight and secured him the belt by unanimous decision.
Zhang has carried that final minute with him ever since. Speaking to ONE Championship ahead of the rematch, he said the loss taught him something that had nothing to do with technique.
“I would tell him that there is no winning before the final bell rings. Give everything you have before that last second,” Zhang said, reflecting on the fight. “My weapons are sharpened, and my mind is stronger.”
Zhang also pointed to a specific factor that worked against him that night: Di Bella’s in ring mind games.
The Road Back To Gold
Zhang’s path to a second title shot was not a straight line. According to the Bangkok Post, he went 4 to 3 in the years following the Di Bella loss, including two split decision defeats to Portugal’s Botelho. Those results tested how long ONE Championship and the sport’s fanbase would keep faith in the once unbeatable prospect.
The turnaround came over his last two outings. Zhang outpointed Thailand’s Thongpoon PK Saenchai in November and followed that with a win over Britain’s Ellis Badr Barboza in February, results that put him back in the title picture and finally forced the rematch into place.
Di Bella, meanwhile, has spent the years since 2022 building one of the most decorated resumes in the division. He captured the interim title with a win over Sam-A Gaiyanghadao at ONE 172 in March 2025, then unified the belts last October with a lopsided decision win over longtime rival Prajanchai PongSuphan PK, a performance that set a promotional record for significant strikes landed in a single ONE kickboxing fight.
The Numbers Behind Di Bella vs Zhang Peimian
Di Bella enters the fight with an undisputed title, a 15 and 1 career record, and a 5 and 1 mark inside ONE Championship. He turned pro with a perfect 10 and 0 record before signing with the promotion. Zhang brings a 20 and 5 career record and six wins across his ONE Championship tenure, along with a full four years of added experience since the two men last shared the ring.
A Clash Of Styles
Stylistically, Di Bella vs Zhang Peimian sets up as a contrast between precision and pressure. Di Bella built his reputation on speed and variety. His hands come from a boxing heavy foundation, he mixes in sharp head kicks at unpredictable moments, and he is comfortable controlling range and tempo across five rounds rather than forcing the pace early. That patience, paired with elite fight IQ, has let him pick apart opponents late once their output starts to fade.
Zhang works from the opposite instinct. His game is built on forward pressure, a heavy left hook, and a willingness to trade in the pocket rather than box from the outside. That approach nearly worked the first time, when he matched Di Bella exchange for exchange for four full rounds. The question this time is whether the added muscle and refined technical tools he has built since then let him sustain that pressure deep into a five round championship fight without the composure that cost him the first encounter.
What Both Fighters Are Saying
Di Bella has made clear he sees a different opponent standing across from him this time, and a different version of himself as well.
“It’s an exciting fight. Zhang is an exciting fighter, and it’s an exciting fight for the fans. The first one was fire, and this one will be fire as well,” he told ONE Championship.
He also credited a change in preparation and physique for the sharper form he has shown since their first encounter.
“Back then, I was walking around at 125 pounds. Now, I’m a bit bigger and stronger, and I have the experience,” Di Bella said. “I’ve fought World Champions. I’ve had five World Title fights since then. I feel like the experience helped.”
That experience, he added, has hardened his approach inside the ring rather than softened it.
Zhang, for his part, has focused his preparation on correcting the physical shortcomings that hampered his last few camps.
“We are trying to build up my body to the best condition, since I wasn’t in the greatest shape in my last few fights because of the injuries,” he told ONE Championship. “We are preparing some new weapons for the system that fans will see on fight day.”
He was also direct about what winning the belt would mean beyond his own career.
“It doesn’t matter if I get my revenge. What matters is that I become the first ever Chinese ONE Kickboxing World Champion. Millions of people have been waiting for that moment for years,” Zhang said.
What Comes Next
Di Bella has not hidden his longer term ambitions, floating a potential superfight with ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 if he gets past Zhang. He was careful to frame that as a conversation for later. “Being a two division champ would be great, but it’s a legendary fight,” he said. “For the record, I’m only focusing on Zhang now. Without Zhang, there is no super fight.”
The rematch headlines a five fight card streaming exclusively for members of The Inner Circle. However Di Bella vs Zhang Peimian plays out on July 17, it closes out a rivalry that has been building since two very different versions of these two fighters first met under the bright lights of Lumpinee Stadium.
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