Johan Ghazali more than happy to see off Josue Cruz deep into their Denver tie: "It'll be great to have a bit of drama"

Johan Ghazali will have his eyes out on another quick finish at ONE 168: Denver. If that fails to pan out, the young Malaysian-American striker will just be equally happy to get one at the buzzer.

The 17-year-old knockout machine heads into the promotion's biggest card of the year, where he squares off against Mexican slugger Josue Cruz in a flyweight Muay Thai matchup, which emanates live from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

Speaking to ONE Championship, the Rentap Muay Thai Gym standout offered his prediction for his contest and said:

"Realistically, I think it'll be hard for him [to match up against me]. So, maybe a knockout in the second or third round. A late one would be nice, and it'll be great to have a bit of drama."

Johan Ghazali vs Josue Cruz is one of many exciting matchups set for ONE 168: Denver on September 6. Fans eager to catch the card live in person can follow this link.

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Johan Ghazali fired up to return to winning ways, promises a 'surprise' for fans in Denver

While he wouldn't mind having some plot twist to his nine-minute war in The Centennial State, 'Jojo' must ensure he doesn't get caught slacking along the process.

The young gun suffered a first promotional defeat to Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167 this past June. Though he attempted to let his foe taste some of his ferocious knockout power, often going head-hunting, his overall output failed to best Nguyen's all-around display after nine minutes of action.

That loss, however, hasn't dampened Johan Ghazali's spirit one bit as he gears up for his second American primetime appearance in the promotion.

In the same exchange with the organization, the teenager went on to add:

"Training has been going great, you know, as always. My coach and I have been working on the usual things. But, of course, there's always going to be that element of surprise when I fight. So fans can expect that."