Johan Ghazali shares "a normal thing" he does before fights to help him focus on the task at hand

Every athlete has a pre-game routine to help set the tone and get them in the right mindset to compete. For ONE Championship Muay Thai star Johan Ghazali, he takes time to pray.

During the ONE 170 virtual media day, the 18-year-old striking sensation was asked whether he does anything before heading into the circle and he replied:

"I pray. That's a normal thing. I pray, I try to clear my mind as much as I can before a fight. There's so much pressure on me. I feel like the whole country is watching me fight, and expecting me to win. There's so much pressure on me. But I'm clearing my mind so I can focus on my fights."

The Malaysian-American has quickly climbed the ranks in ONE's stacked flyweight Muay Thai division after logging five knockouts in six victories. His most recent performance was a buzzer-beating first-round finish of Josue Cruz at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6.

However, Ghazali's next opponent is also capable of highlight-reel finishes as he faces undefeated Colombian knockout artist Johan Estupinan at ONE 170 on Jan. 24 inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Johan Ghazali wary of Johan Estupinan's unique style

Johan Ghazali knows he will inch closer towards a top-five spot in the 135-pound Muay Thai division's rankings with a win over Johan Estupinan, but he is not letting such possibilities take away his focus.

An eager Ghazali broke down what 'Panda Kick' brings to the table ahead of their flyweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE 170 during the virtual media day, saying:

"Yeah, yeah. Of course. Estupinan, I'm not saying he's an easy opponent, but he's very unorthodox, very different, not like a usual fighter you'd see all the time."