‘I Must Win Them All’ – Zhang Peimian Determined To Start New Streak At ONE Fight Night 8, Earn Rematch With Jonathan Di Bella
Chinese phenom Zhang Peimian is dying to get back inside the Circle and begin his climb toward another shot at strawweight kickboxing gold.
“The Fighting Rooster” will soon get his wish, as he’s scheduled to take on promotional newcomer Torepchi Dongak this Friday, March 24, at ONE Fight Night on Prime Video.
Zhang is fully focused on this showdown at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, but he’s also looking ahead to a potential rematch with ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella, who beat him for the vacant belt last October.
After reeling off a pair of sensational victories to open his ONE tenure, the Chinese striker came up just short in his five-round battle with Di Bella. Now, he’s on a warpath to avenge that loss and capture the throne.
The 19-year-old striker told ONEFC.com:
“[I want] Di Bella because he holds my belt. No one gets me more interested than him.”
In their World Title bout last year, both Zhang and Di Bella pushed the other to their limit, putting together one of the most electrifying fights of 2022.
But after four-and-a-half rounds of high-paced, back-and-forth action, the Italian-Canadian landed a stunning head kick that put Zhang on the canvas, effectively sealing the decision.
Looking back, the Shengli Fight Club representative sees that fight as a learning experience:
“The most important thing I learned from it is that anything could happen. Until the bell is ringing, you should just never think like, ‘Oh, I’ll go hard in these three rounds and then I’ll play safe in these two.’ That won’t work when you are fighting for championships. Always go hard like you are losing it. That’s what I learned.”
No matter how long it takes, Zhang is determined to prove he’s ready for another World Title opportunity, and his journey begins anew on March 24:
“To get another World Title shot, I have to put together a winning streak. So this fight, or the next, or maybe if the promotion thinks I need three more shots before I get the rematch, I must win them all. We are targeting the belt, and everything before that is just a stumbling block.”
Zhang Peimian Expects To Knock Out Torepchi Dongak
For now, Zhang Peimian’s path to the divisional gold must go through dangerous Russian kickboxer Torepchi Dongak.
“The Fighting Rooster” admits he doesn’t know much about his foe, but that doesn’t bother him. Rather than worry about Dongak’s skill set, the teenager simply trusts in his own abilities.
He said:
“It is really hard to dig up any information about him, so I can’t tell whether he’s good or not. But anyway, we accept whoever gets in front of us. We will take him out and keep on chasing the gold.”
One of the most explosive kickboxers in ONE, Zhang is brimming with confidence – sure that he’ll score another highlight-reel finish at ONE Fight Night 8.
The only question, he says, is when that stoppage will come:
“I think it won’t be long. In fact, after the first combo we throw, I’ll know exactly how quickly I can finish it. But no matter what, I think it’s going to be a KO, and probably in the second or third round.”
