‘He’s A Bigger Version Of Myself’ – Jonathan Di Bella Reflects On Budding Friendship With Regian Eersel
When Italian-Canadian sensation Jonathan Di Bella began his training camp for the biggest fight of his career, little did he know it would also strengthen his friendship with a fellow ONE World Champion.
The ONE Interim Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion will get his chance to unify the gold and avenge his only professional loss when he faces reigning two-sport king Prajanchai PK Saenchai in the main event of ONE Fight Night 36 on Prime Video.
With redemption on his mind, Di Bella wasted no time jetting off to New York and shifting into fight mode for his rematch, which broadcasts live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 3.
Though locked in, the coffee aficionado received a text from ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion Regian “The Immortal” Eersel.
The Dutch-Surinamese athlete reached out during event week for ONE Fight Night 34, just days before he knocked out George “G-Unit” Jarvis in the show’s headline attraction on August 1, to see if they could get together. And the timing worked out perfectly for both superstars.
Di Bella recalled:
“He texted me, ‘Hey, when are you going to be there? Are you going to be in New York during this period?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, for sure.’
“He knew I was always in New York, so I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna link up, for sure.’ And he was actually [going to train] at my dad’s friend’s gym, so we set up a training session, and it was perfect.”
The anticipation had been building for a while, after all. Di Bella and Eersel had crossed paths at a couple of ONE Fight Night events in Bangkok, where they discussed the possibility of training with one another.
While the Italian-Canadian dynamo knew what “The Immortal” brought to the table, experiencing it firsthand at his dad’s friend’s gym, Striking 101, was still pretty surreal for him.
The 29-year-old said:
“I was so excited to work with him because I know he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in kickboxing and Muay Thai. I knew I was going to get good work in and get good training, of course.
“I knew the skill level was there. But, like in front of me, when he’s standing in front of me, it’s real, you know? You can tell he’s really good.”
The two ONE World Champions went to work in what would become far more than a typical sparring session in New York. They pushed each other to new heights, exchanging tips and tricks behind their equally unique styles.
Their training sessions focused entirely on kickboxing, which has benefited Di Bella in the weeks leading up to his ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title unification bout with Prajanchai.
Di Bella offered:
“We did four or five rounds together. That was good. Those were good rounds. He helped me a lot. He helped me a lot for this training camp. Just even one day of sparring or two days of sparring with him, it certainly helped a lot.”
Di Bella And Eersel Build A Bond Through Shared Values
Beyond the immediate benefits to his next fight, ONE Interim Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella found something even deeper from his time together with Regian Eersel in “The Big Apple.”
It was their passion to lead by example and help the next generation of martial artists, who may be keen to follow in their footsteps. This shared commitment to mentorship created an instant bond that went beyond their technical chemistry in the gym.
The Italian-Canadian offered:
“I respect Eersel even more now because I see him working not just with me, but I see him working with everybody else, just like I do. Like, we both have the same mentality.
“We work with not only high-level athletes, but we work with the up-and-comers coming up for the next generation and other pro athletes just beginning their careers. We’re all just working with them and getting them better as well.”
As Di Bella prepares for his rematch, he carries with him not just improved technical skills from his time with Eersel, but the certainty that even at the highest levels of competition, genuine friendships can flourish.
Their brief exchange in New York may have officially ended, but plans are already being made for future collaborations between the ONE World Champions.
Di Bella concluded:
“We developed a new relationship. I feel like he’s a bigger version of myself, like just a bigger version. He’s always like, ‘Bro, I want to come. Whenever I come to New York, we’ll train together,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, 100 percent. Just call me and text me, and we’ll train together.'”
