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17-year-old phenom Johan Ghazali has been one of the remarkable stories of the year for ONE Championship in 2023.
The striking prodigy announced himself on the global stage with his performances on the ONE Friday Fights series that made him the youngest ever six-figure contract winner.
Ghazali is now set to make his main roster debut at ONE Fight Night 17. But before this huge fight in his career, he is paying respect to the ones who paved the road he is now walking on.
The sport of Muay Thai has never had more eyes on it, and several high-profile fighters are huge reasons for that, with none being of greater significance than Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
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The flyweight Muay Thai king has transcended the sport as a huge star in combat sports.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Ghazali spoke about his admiration for ‘The Iron Man’ and everything that he has been able to accomplish that makes him a role model:
“For me, it has to be Rodtang. He is the pioneer of taking Muay Thai to the top of the world, and he’s also the highest-paid Muay Thai fighter ever. So, yeah, he’s right up there for me, from his skills to everything else.”
ONE Fight Night 17 will air live on US Primetime free of charge for those with a Prime Video subscription in the United States and Canada.
Johan Ghazali will debut against an opponent that has also shared the Circle with Rodtang Jitmuangnon
For his main roster debut at ONE Fight Night 17 on December 8, Johan Ghazali has an opponent whom he hopes to make his name off. Mexico’s Edgar Tabares came into ONE Championship off the back of his success competing under the WBC.
Tabares couldn’t have asked for a tougher debut than his first appearance inside the Circle at ONE Fight Night 10, where he challenged Rodtang for the flyweight Muay Thai crown.
Having come up short on that night, he is yet to really solidify his status as a member of the roster and that will once again be put to the test when he takes on the young and hungry Ghazali.
