The explosive Chinese fighter Zhang Peimian has promised to knock out his opponent in their upcoming match at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video.
After suffering his first defeat in the ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship match against Jonathan Di Bella, the youthful standout is more motivated than ever. The Chinese power striker is out for a knockdown in an effort to win a second chance at the gold medal.
The 19 years old rising talent, said to ONE Championship:
“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.”
Zhang has every reason to be overconfident in his ability to defeat Torepchi Dongak of Russia. He is a strong counter strike with the capacity to relentlessly follow and pace his adversaries until they are worn down. He’s a walking nightmare for anyone sharing the arena with him—highly technical, quick, and precise.
Zhang Peimian needs very little time to build up his punching combinations, as shown by his first two ONE Championship fights. On Josh Tonna’s promotional debut, Zhang strategically wore him down by engulfing him in outside strikes until Tonna gave up from fatigue.
Torepchi Dongak will unquestionably have a difficult time winning Zhang’s regard if he is given a chance to grow used to him.
Zhang Peimian is eager to fight Jonathan Di Bella once more and is still troubled by the defeat he received from Di Bella at ONE 162 last year.
Zhang, who is used to ramming opponents into the cage, had no idea that when he attacked Di Bella, he would get a taste of his own medicine.
Zhang’s left hooks were well-defended by the Canadian-Italian attacker, giving little to no chance for the Chinese dynamite to gain some volume and gain momentum.
Di Bella scored big with a powerful head kick to knock the Chinese phenom to the ground after the two engaged in a tightly fought fight. As Di Bella drew closer, Zhang Peimian stood up but continued to see stars. Fortunately, the bell came to his rescue.
When ONE Championship questioned him about his opponent after Torepchi Dongak, the prodigy responded:
“[I want] Di Bella because he holds my belt. No one gets me more interested than him.”
In their World Title match last year, Zhang and Di Bella each tested the other’s limits, resulting in one of the most exciting battles of 2022.
But after five rounds of fast-paced, back-and-forth combat, the Italian-Canadian connected with a stunning head kick that knocked Zhang to the ground and essentially gave him the victory.
The Shengli Fight Club fighter looks back on that match as a learning moment:
“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.”
At ONE Fight Night 8, Zhang Peimian is determined to begin a new streak.
Zhang is determined to demonstrate that he is prepared for another World Title chance saying, “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.”
With his match against promotional newcomer Torepchi Dongak this Friday, March 24, at ONE Fight Night on Prime Video, “The Fighting Rooster” will shortly get his wish.
