“It was a fight inside and outside the ring” - Johan Ghazali looks back at the difficult preparation for his ONE Friday Fights debut

ONE Friday Fights, the weekly event series staged by ONE Championship, has not only provided fantastic fights for fans but also produced a new breed of athletes with superstar potential.

Among those prospects is Malaysian Muay Thai star Johan Ghazali, who made a remarkable ONE Friday Fights debut in February 2023 at the sixth installment of the show by knocking out Padetsuk Fairtex in their flyweight Muay Thai match.

Ghazali uncorked an atomic right-hand punch that landed on Padetsuk’s chin, removing him from consciousness in the process.

But ‘Jojo’ revealed that his preparation for that fight wasn’t easy because he went through hard training and experienced not only a physical grind but also dealt with his mental fortitude. He opened up about this during a recent interview with ONE Championship.

The Rentap Muaythai gym representative said:

“From the time I got the offer, I knew what I had to face – it was a fight inside and outside the ring, you know. I had to mentally and physically prepare myself, the training was hard, it was much tougher than what I’ve ever been through. But, as the fight came, the finish line was nearing, I felt more comfortable.”

Since that outstanding first match, Ghazali went on to collect three more wins against Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai, Samurai Seeopal, and Temirlan Bekmurzaev. With three of these victories coming by way of TKO/KO, he finally earned himself a $100,000 contract with the world’s largest martial arts organization.

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Johan Ghazali to make his ONE Championship debut against Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 17

Ghazali will have a tough debut in ONE Championship as he is set to face former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title challenger Edgar Tabares on December 8 at ONE Fight Night 17, which will happen inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

He hopes to add to Tabares’ woes as he aims for a victory in his main roster debut.

ONE Fight Night 17 takes place this Friday, December 8, at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The entire card is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.