ONE Championship: Jon Di Bella says UFC star Michael Chandler is ‘for real’ after sparring session in Florida
- ONE strawweight kickboxing champ sparred with UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler at Kill Cliff FC gym
- Italian-Canadian also caught up with fellow ONE star Aung La N Sang, whom he calls ‘very knowledgeable, very experienced’
Jon Di Bella was impressed by the striking skill of UFC star Michael Chandler during a recent sparring session at Kill Cliff FC in Florida.
Italian-Canadian Di Bella, who holds the ONE Championship strawweight kickboxing title, crossed paths with American Chandler at the famed mixed martial arts gym last week, during the warm-up round for a kickboxing session led by revered coach Henri Hooft.
He had nothing but good things to say about the lightweight MMA fighter after the fact.
“We were just doing some technical sparring,” the kickboxing champion told the Post. “It was fun. It was actually really fun. He’s no joke. He’s for real.
“He’s legit. He’s really good.”
Di Bella shared some footage of his sparring session with Chandler on his official Instagram page. He landed some good shots on Chandler – no surprise considering the American is a wrestler at his roots – but humbly admitted he would have no answer for the UFC star’s wrestling.
“He could have taken me down any time,” he said.
Di Bella has not fought since he won ONE’s vacant strawweight kickboxing belt with a unanimous-decision defeat of Chinese star Zhang Peimian last October.
However, he says he has been contacted by the promotion about his next bout, and accepted a fight date – though he has not been told his opponent.
The 26-year-old, who splits most of his training between his hometown of Montreal and Brooklyn, New York, was in Florida on holiday with his family and girlfriend. As the son of experienced kickboxing champion Angelo Di Bella, however, even their holidays involve training.
“Every time I’m in South Florida – my dad knows a lot of coaches around here – we go around and just get some rounds in while we’re here,” he said. “Every time we come, we try to do a few days with Henri [Hooft, Kill Cliff FC head coach].
“Henri always welcomes us with open arms. He’s super nice.”
Kill Cliff FC is also the training home of ONE Championship star Aung La N Sang. Di Bella is in regular contact with the Burmese-American, a former two-division MMA champ, and caught up with him in person during his visit to the gym.
“We always talk,” he said. “We always message each other. Yesterday we saw him and we had a nice conversation with each other. It was cool. He’s super nice. He’s the best.
“He’s been in ONE Championship longer, so he always gives me his knowledge. He’s very knowledgeable, very experienced.”
Chandler was last in action in November, when he was submitted by fellow lightweight contender Dustin Poirier.
He is reported to be fighting MMA superstar Conor McGregor next, but the bout is not yet official, though the two are coaching opposite teams on the latest season of reality television show The Ultimate Fighter.
