He was just 19 years old the first time he tasted the pressure of a World Title fight. Nearly four years later, he is finally ready to finish what he started.

Zhang Peimian challenges reigning ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella in the main event of The Inner Circle 22 on Friday, July 17. The rematch streams live for members from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

Their first meeting at ONE 162 in October 2022 produced one of the most competitive World Title fights the division has seen, with Zhang pushing the Italian-Canadian southpaw across four grueling rounds before a fifth-round high kick proved decisive.

“I remember that it was a hard battle. We were well prepared, and I think I was on the right track to win until that high kick landed. I believe that was the closest a Chinese fighter has come to claiming the kickboxing gold,” Zhang said.

“I think I was winning before that knockdown. But I won’t say it was by luck or accident. I could’ve been more watchful.”

Di Bella, now a four-time World Champion, carries a 15-1 record and a three-fight winning streak into the rematch. Zhang has tracked his rival’s evolution closely and sees a more complete fighter than the one he faced nearly four years ago.

“His boxing is one of a kind, but I think his footwork and kicks have also been improving a lot. He’s been fighting some of the best strikers, so he’s got good experience. By defeating most of them, I believe he’s now the most confident fighter in the division, that’s what makes him dangerous. But it could also be his weakness. We’ll see,” he admitted.

Nagging injuries hampered Zhang’s last few camps, and arriving below his best against a champion of Di Bella’s caliber is not a mistake he intends to repeat.

“We are trying to build up my body to the best condition, since I wasn’t in the greatest shape in my last few fights because of the injuries. And we are preparing some new weapons for the system that fans will see on fight day,” the Shengli Fight Club product said.

The most crucial lesson Zhang carries out of that first fight has nothing to do with technique. It has everything to do with what happens in his own mind.

“The key is to not fall into his mind games, which is why I lost the first time. I was too easily provoked, I was only 19 back then. I think it will be a five-round war. Maybe there will be some knockdowns in between,” he said.

More than personal redemption, Zhang carries the weight of a nation’s expectations into Lumpinee Stadium.

“It doesn’t matter if I get my revenge. What matters is that I become the first-ever Chinese ONE Kickboxing World Champion. Millions of people have been waiting for that moment for years,” he concluded.

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