“I only hunt for one thing” - American-Malaysian teen phenom Johan Ghazali eyes highlight-reel finish in Denver

Though his 'O' may be no more under the ONE banner, Johan Ghazali will continue to be the same exciting fighter he's always been.

After coming up short for the first time on the global stage of martial arts, suffering a unanimous decision loss to Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167, 'Jojo' will look to bounce back on Friday, September 6 when he returns to the Circle for a clash with Mexican slugger Josue Cruz.

Their bout will be one of the many can't-miss matchups at ONE 168: Denver, emanating from Ball Arena in The Mile High City.

Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Ghazali made it clear that the loss will in no way deter him from fishing for highlight-reel finishes every time he steps on martial arts' biggest global stage.

"Of course, man," Ghazali said. "Fans can expect the very same version of Johan Ghazali, the one before my loss. That version has never left. I only hunt for one thing—a knockout."

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Johan Ghazali reveals a valuable lesson he learned in his ONE 167 loss

Though no fighter ever likes to lose, Johan Ghazali believes there was something to learn in his fight with Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat that he can take with him into future fights — like the difference between fighting in a cage versus a ring.

"I learned a lot, you know," Ghazali added. "One of the biggest things is that I underestimated the difference between the Circle and the ring because I'm a pressure fighter and it was more difficult and harder to cut off my opponents."

The 17-year-old teen phenom is in for another tough test at ONE 168 when he meets Josue Cruz, a 17-win veteran determined to pound out his first victory in ONE Championship after coming up short in his first two appearances against Walter Goncalves and Sean Climaco.

Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.