'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
ONE Muay Thai rising star Johan Ghazali feels bad about letting down the droves of passionate supporters who came to witness him fight live at ONE 167. A large group of 'Jojo's' loyal fans from his home country Malaysia made the trip to Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, last weekend to cheer for the teenage phenom in his high-stakes war with Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat.
Ghazali, however, seemed to figure in an off night. After three rounds of intense action, the 17-year-old wunderkind absorbed his first taste of defeat in the world's largest martial arts organization via unanimous decision.
Speaking to ONE post-event, the flyweight striker apologized to his followers and promised to do much better in his next outing:
"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."
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Johan Ghazali certainly had a ton of hype behind him after a rousing 5-0 start in the promotion, including four blistering knockouts.
Then again, the youthful athlete seemed too overeager to land the finishing blow against Nguyen. He headhunted every chance he could and failed to set up his haymakers behind his usual slick combinations.
'No.1', being the veteran that he is, refused to play into Ghazali's desire for a slugfest and wisely chopped him down from distance with well-timed kicks.
The replay of this exciting match, along with the full ONE 167 blockbuster, is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat says Johan Ghazali is destined for gold
Nguyen was pure class after ending Johan Ghazali's winning streak at ONE 167. While he bested Ghazali and was clearly the better fighter that night, he still sees greatness in the future of 'Jojo'.
The Vietnamese star said in a ONE Championship interview:
“Johan is young and strong. He has a strong mind as well, and he will certainly be a future world champion of ONE Championship.”
