"Sacrifice everything for my country" - Johan Ghazali says representing Malaysia on the global stage means the world to him

Johan Ghazali has been one of the brightest sparks in striking sports over the past few years.

In 2023, he emerged as an incredibly exciting rising star through the winning streak that he put together in ONE Championship.

Ghazali recently spoke at the ONE 170 virtual media day about what inspires him and motivates him to compete at the highest level.

The 18-year-old is set to return at the Impact Arena in Bangkok on Jan. 24, where he will face undefeated Colombian upstart Johan Estupinan.

Though he wants to achieve success for himself and his family, Johan Ghazali also takes immense pride in being able to represent his home of Malaysia.

This drive keeps him going when training camps and fights get difficult because of the pride that it brings him.

Another outing is another opportunity for him to represent his country at the highest level and for him, there's nothing else quite like it:

"I'm willing to sacrifice everything for my country, you know. It feels really good to put the Malaysian flag up alongside these other countries and other incredible fighters. This is what I fight for, really."

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Johan Ghazali still has so much left to give

The most exciting aspect of watching Johan Ghazali compete is that he's still only scratching the surface of what he's capable of.

As a rising star, who's still in his teens, he's only getting to get better as he continues to represent Malaysia at the very top.

2024 was a year of mixed results for the 18-year-old knockout machine, but it will have been an invaluable learning experience for him at this stage of his career.

He will now look to carry that into 2025 where with another year under his belt, fight fans will see how he is developing.

For now, his sole focus is on facing off with the incredibly dangerous Estupinan as part of a stacked card.