Johan Ghazali suffered the first defeat of his ONE Championship tenure this past weekend, but he’s determined to return to form in his next outing. However, this defeat was not enough to break the spirits of the Malaysian-American.

He suffered a unanimous decision loss to Vietnamese veteran Nguyen Tran “No.1” Duy Nhat in their flyweight Muay Thai matchup at ONE 167 last Friday, June 7, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Johan Ghazali reflects on loss and promises a comeback

Duy Nhat stayed active throughout the affair, preventing Ghazali from unleashing his signature power shots in combination. Nonetheless, the young phenom entertained fans by openly daring his foe to stand and bang in the middle of the Circle, and he credited “No.1” for his output after the fight.

“It was frustrating because Nguyen is a technical fighter. He has a lot of experience. He knew what was coming before it came,” Ghazali said. “Jojo” entered his latest bout to a ton of fanfare, given that he won all five previous outings in the world’s largest martial arts organization in dominant fashion.

The Malaysian-American took the loss to heart, knowing that the hopes of a nation were on his shoulders, but he vowed to return stronger than ever. “Sorry to all the Malaysian fans who came out from Malaysia all the way to Bangkok to support me. I 100 percent felt their support in there. Keep on supporting me. I do it for the fans. I’ll be back. I’ve lost before. I’ve lost in life. Losing is a part of life. Don’t judge me on my wins. Judge me on how I come back from my losses,”  Ghazali said.

Duy Nhat respected the fight prowess of Ghazili

The 17-year-old showed professionalism beyond his years in the face of defeat, and he was praised by many around him for his performance and persona at the post-fight media events. Duy Nhat had nothing but respect for his young foe, stating that there were significant things on the horizon for him.

“Johan is young and strong. He has a strong mind as well, and he will certainly be a future World Champion of ONE Championship,” he said. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong also pointed out that facing Duy Nhat was good for Ghazali and his career.

“’Jojo’ is still young. He is still 17. He has less experience,” he said.”His opponent is the number one fighter from Vietnam. He’s 35, and he has a lot more experience. I think that ‘Jojo’ needs to gain a lot more experience in the future.”