ONE 162: Zhang vs. Di Bella Preview and Predictions

ONE Championship will host another weekend double header with ONE 162 and ONE on Prime Video 3. The first event will showcase the men’s strawweight kickboxing division as Zhang Peimian faces off against Jonathan Di Bella. The Chinese standout Zhang is just 19 years old and has a bright future ahead of him regardless of the outcome of this title showdown. Di Bella is making his promotional debut and jumps right into a title fight. The Italian-Canadian fighter has been kickboxing out of his father’s gym since he was two years old, and is currently 10-0 as a pro. He will try to add a prestigious world title to his mantle.

With a scrap between Nieky Holzken and Islam Murtazaev scrapped due to a Holzken injury, the flyweight showdown between Reece McLaren and Windson Ramos finds itself in the co-main event slot. Ramos comes into this fight hot, riding a five-fight winning streak. He hasn’t lost since his first pro contest. McLaren notched an impressive victory in his last contest where he submitted Wei Xie in the first round of their fight.

ONE 162 airs live on the ONE Championship website starting at 7 a.m. ET.

ONE Championship is one of the few major promotions that highlights the men’s strawweight division; who comes away with the kickboxing world title when Zhang Peimian and Jonathan Di Bella meet?

Zhang Peimian is 19 years old, and, at the end of the night, he will be crowned a world champion. That is an incredible accomplishment, and he will look great while claiming the vacant belt.

Just two fights ago, Zhang had an impressive second-round stoppage win over Josh Tonna via body shots at ONE Championship: Lights Out. He then followed that performance with a unanimous-decision win over Aslanbek Zikreev at ONE 159. The Chinese teenager is a problem for anyone standing opposite of him, and he will prove that with a victory over Jonathan Di Bella.

Make no mistake, Di Bella is no slouch. He boasts an undefeated record of 10-0 heading into his ONE debut and rattled off an impressive 20-0 record as an amateur kickboxer. He has been waiting over two years to make this debut, after signing with the promotion in 2020, only to have his premiere be delayed by COVID. He took two professional boxing fights in the time between his signing and his official debut to stay active, but that activity won’t be enough to keep him from dropping a decision to Zhang this weekend. This one has the makings of a close, entertaining fight that could lead the pair into a rematch in the not-so-distant future.

Windson Ramos comes into his showdown with Reece McLaren on a five-fight winning streak; does the Brazilian make it six in a row by defeating his Australian opponent?

There is no question that Windson Ramos has been steadily improving since dropping his professional debut in 2017. He took a bit of time off from mixed martial arts from 2019 – 2022 but he certainly showed that he didn’t suffer ring rust in his return fight back in April when he defeated Sung Hoon Woo by unanimous decision. Unfortunately for Ramos, his winning streak comes to an end this weekend because Reece McLaren is at the top of his game and will come away with his tenth submission victory.

McLaren looked incredible in his most recent bout when he submitted Wei Xie late in the first round after a little bit of early adversity. This fight will be grappling heavy as both men prefer to get their work done from the mat. Even if he winds up on his back early, McLaren will find an opening to pull off a sweep from half guard and once he gets on top it will be the Reece McLaren show. I don’t expect Ramos to make it out of the first round before McLaren gets to his back and locks in a rear-naked choke for submission number ten.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

With ONE on Prime Video 3 coming so soon after this event, you could say that the entire fight card is one big sleeper fight. To pick one, I’d say the flyweight clash between Eko Roni Saputra and Yodkaikaew Fairtex.

“Y2K” needs a win, and he needs one in the worst way. He has dropped three in a row, and his overall record has fallen to 7-5. Saputra is on the exact opposite trajectory, having rattled off six straight wins since losing his pro debut. On paper, this should be a one-sided beatdown, but they don’t fight on paper. Y2K will absolutely push Saputra and give him all he can handle and then some. This one will be high paced and exciting and the losing streak comes to an end as Y2K will pick up a unanimous decision win after three great rounds.