ONE Fight Night 8: Zhang Peimian Breaks Down Victory Over Dongak, Wants World Title Rematch With Di Bella

Singapiore, March 30: After almost reaching the mountaintop last October, Chinese phenom Zhang Peimian stated his intentions following his victory at ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs. Williams last weekend.

The 19-year-old successfully returned to winning ways when he met Torepchi Dongak in strawweight kickboxing action last Saturday, 25 March, earning the unanimous decision victory after a three-round slugfest with the Russian inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

In his first outing since a narrow loss to Jonathan Di Bella for the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship, "Fighting Rooster" had a statement to make. And he did exactly that.

In order to assert himself over Dongak, Zhang revealed that his plan was to put the Russian under pressure. The Chinese star now feels rejuvenated in victory, having taken many lessons from his shortcomings at ONE 162.

"I knew my opponent's progression, and all Russian styles are like that, they will fight until the end," Zhang said. "Before the fight, my coach told me I could not step back, so I had to keep pushing forward.

"The last time I lost the belt, I was nervous, so I felt very sad and sorry. But after that, I trained a lot and practiced a lot. This year, I have confidence in [me and my team]."

For the Chinese athlete, it's undoubtedly evident how much accolades and World Titles mean to him. The youthful striker looked ahead of his years at ONE Fight Night 8.

Zhang has no plans on waiting around on the sidelines, though. Ready to capitalize on newly recovered momentum, the Shenzen native only has eyes for Di Bella and the strawweight kickboxing throne.

Whenever the opportunity arises, like a vulture eagerly watching over prey, Zhang will be prepared to swoop in and take what he feels is his. "In the next fight, I'm going to be calmer, and I will fight until the end," Zhang said.

"Because last time I thought I won and was losing in the last two rounds. So this time, I learned from that, so I will fight until the end. "This could be in the middle of this year or at the end of the year. I am ready."

Source: Media Release