Di Bella might be a kickboxing specialist but he believes Prajanchai is the favourite for a reason.

While Prajanchai might be a relative newcomer to the sport, he has more than enough experience in other disciplines to compensate.

“I’m going 20 hours across the world to his hometown but I think it’s an even fight because he has all that experience in boxing and Muay Thai.

“I believe I’m the underdog in this fight, but I’m going to shock the world.”

Di Bella has never faced an opponent of Prajanchai’s calibre before. He knows it is a step up but wants to test his mettle against the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

“In amateur and pro [fights] I haven’t lost. I’ve fought the top opponents, I’ve never turned down a challenge.

“American champions, Chinese champions – I’ve always fought top guys. I want to go to the next level and he’s the next level.”

Training for him is a family affair and he lives with his coach, who also happens to be his father.

It is an unusual arrangement but Di Bella – who has Italian roots – says it works very well.

“Our relationship is very good [because] I live in his house and he’s very strict. Every day he wakes me up, we go training, early mornings, late nights, hard work.

“Repeating the basics, the same thing over and over again. Sometimes you get tired physically and mentally but you’ve got to still do it.”

De Bella has never faced a Thai opponent, but says he knows what to expect from Prajanchai at Lumpinee Stadium.

“I haven’t been training with Thais but I know the style and I’m excited to challenge my skills against one of the best in the world.”

Prajanchai has already been beaten by one Italian, when he was stopped in 2022 by Joseph Lasiri in one of the biggest upsets in ONE Championship history.

Di Bella chose to play down that defeat, and does not think Prajanchai’s loss to Lasiri, which he subsequently avenged in a rematch, holds too much significance.

“Sometimes it happens, sometimes you have a bad night, sometimes you get caught. Anything can happen in a fight – you’ve always got to be ready.”

The 27-year-old Di Bella does not appear to have ever had a bad night in the ring, having yet to taste defeat and winning all 18 of his fights.

A victory over Prajanchai would be much more than just win number 19, though. It would also instantly establish Di Bella as one of the biggest stars in the sport of kickboxing and he knows just how high the stakes are this week.

“It would show I’m for real, I’m the next level and solidify me as one of the best kick-boxers on the planet.”

However, he is quick to deny his undefeated record has been carefully cultivated, or has come against hand-picked opposition. Di Bella says he never turns down a fight and always wants to test himself against the division’s elite.

“I like to win, I don’t like to lose. I don’t care about records I don’t try and protect my record, I always want to fight the best.”

Before signing for ONE Championship, he had spent his entire pro career competing in New York, where he says he has a big fan base and where he is hoping to fight again later this year.

ONE 168 is set for Atlanta on November 8 and Di Bella wants to be a part of it.

“Atlanta is in November and hopefully I’m on that one because it’s on the east coast and so a lot of people from New York, from Florida and from Montreal will come.

“All the Italian-American community will come and watch for sure.”

But before all that, Di Bella will need to travel halfway around the world to compete in Prajanchai’s hometown on Friday.

And as the underdog, the Canadian knows he can instantly establish himself as a kickboxing legend by beating the Thai and silencing the home crowd.