Johan Ghazali has quickly risen through the ranks in ONE Championship, but he is still incredulous regarding his achievements so far.

The 17-year-old phenom will be back in action at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Friday, June 7, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, where he’ll face his biggest challenge yet in the form of Vietnamese star Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat in flyweight Muay Thai action.

Johan Ghazali is looking to cement his status in MMA

Ghazali has stayed undefeated in five fights since joining the world’s largest martial arts organization in February last year. After finishing three of his first four opponents at the ONE Friday Fights series, he earned a six-figure contract to compete in ONE’s global shows.

The Malaysian-American striker ensured he made the most of that opportunity when he took on former World Title challenger Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 17 last December. He dominated proceedings and finished his much more seasoned opponent in the first round.

Though he has endless momentum behind him, Ghazali discussed the magnitude of the opponent he’ll be facing in his upcoming bout, and his disbelief about the size of the card he’ll be competing on in a recent interview with SCMP MMA.

“This will be my biggest fight to date. First time fighting in a Circle. He’s beat quite a few Malaysians. Looking at the card, it’s crazy to see. Sometimes I look at the card, and I (get) shocked myself, you know?” he said.  

“When I started fighting in Max Muay Thai in 2018, Stamp was a double-champ then. She was at the top. Now I’m fighting on the same card as her. It’s crazy.”

“Jojo” has only competed in a ring in his time in ONE Championship, but at ONE 167, he will step inside the famed Circle.

While he’ll be in unfamiliar terrain, the teen sensation says his style will quickly adapt.

“I’d say it’ll be harder for me. Because I’m a pressure fighter. I love being in the center. So, it’ll be harder for me to cut off my opponents. But it shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” he said. 

“I feel like anyone who goes up against me will end up circling around the Circle. So I think he’ll start fighting on the back foot.”

Duy Nhat and Ghazali would fight for flyweight supremacy

Duy Nhat will do everything in his power to stop that from happening, however. And with his array of skills, it could be a long evening for Ghazali.

“No.1” is an accomplished multi-discipline fighter who was on track to be one of the most exciting fighters in the flyweight Muay Thai division after scoring back-to-back knockout victories in his first two promotional appearances.

Unfortunately, the global pandemic prevented him from riding his momentum to the top. Duy Nhat suffered a devastating loss in his last outing against Denis Puric at ONE Fight Night 17 – the same night Ghazali picked up his latest win.

Thus, he’ll be hunting for a spectacular finish against “Jojo,” in the hopes of putting himself right into the mix in the flyweight Muay Thai ranks. But Ghazali promises he’ll be aiming to do the same thing.

“Every fight, you know, I’m trying to break my 16-second record. So if I get it in 16 seconds, that’ll be sick. That’s the plan,” he said.