“The first plan is to knock him out” - Johan Ghazali’s primary goal is to get Josue Cruz out of there early

Teenage star Johan Ghazali is planning to return with a bang after his first defeat in his recent fight.

Ahead of his scheduled clash with Josue Cruz at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, Ghazali has been busy with his preparation as he aims to mark his next matchup with a knockout victory.

Although his early days in ONE Championship were marked with wins after wins, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat managed to humble the 17-year-old phenom when the intense fight concluded.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Ghazali explained why the result would be totally different this time, when he faces Cruz on September 6 in U.S. soil.

He said:

"I’m ready for all sort of things coming my way. So I’ll use what I know to adjust the game plan. But, of course, the first plan is to knock him out."

With a shot at redemption closing in, it would be interesting to see how Ghazali will employ his game plan in taking the 'W' from the hands of the more experienced Mexican fighter in Cruz.

Tickets for ONE 168 are also available via Ticketmaster.

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Johan Ghazali wants to redeem his loss at ONE 168

Young Malaysian-American phenom Johan Ghazali wants to right his wrongs when he returns to action at ONE 168: Denver.

This time, he's up against another experienced fighter in Josue Cruz, and he has been preparing himself to perform at his best.

In the same interview, Ghazali said:

"We've implemented a lot of things. We've trained our footwork, how to move forward, how to cut off the Circle, and yeah, we've changed a few things."

And with that in mind, Ghazali will aim for an early finish against a game opponent there.

ONE 168, which takes place in the 21,000-seater Ball Arena in Denver, is available live and free in U.S. primetime to Amazon Prime Video subscribers.