“The next Rodtang?”- MMA legend Demetrious Johnson has high expectations of teenage phenom Johan Ghazali

After watching teen phenom Johan Ghazali in action, pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson had one question for fight fans:

“Is Johan the next Rodtang?”

Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but thus far, ‘JoJo’ appears to be more than capable of filling them. Making his promotional debut in February, Ghazali has scored four straight wins inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with all, but one coming by way of knockout.

Johnson recently shared his live reaction while watching Ghazali in action, and believes that the Malaysian-American sensation could be the second coming of ‘The Iron Man.’

“@johanghazali_ is just 17 YEARS OLD! 🤯 I wasn’t even training MMA yet when I was 17 lol. The teen phenom is ready to make his U.S. primetime debut THIS Friday at ONE Fight Night 17 on @primevideo 💯”

Johan Ghazali returns to the Mecca of Muay Thai this Friday night when he makes his Prime Video debut against Mexico’s Edgar Tabares.

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Demetrious Johnson walks us through Ghazali’s impressive win over Tai

The bout Demetrious Johnson uses to assess Johan Ghazali’s skills is his second appearance with the promotion at ONE Friday Fights 18 this past May. ‘JoJo’ stepped into the ring against another notable newcomer, Tai Sor Jor Piek Uthai, and delivered a show-stealing performance via a third-round KO.

“Now, this is my first time seeing Johan fight and I believe he’s 17 years old which is absolutely crazy,” Johnson said. “They’re just exchanging the whole entire time and you’re just looking for an opening. If you don’t have a chin, you’re not gonna last long in this type of sport.

“He comes right across that distance immediately. Great technique. Very explosive, very tough. Like I said, in kickboxing, in Muay Thai, it’s based on being tough. Can you eat that? They’re just exchanging. They’re both taking shots.”

Will Ghazali make it five in a row this Friday night, or will Edgar Tabares stop the budding superstar’s momentum in its tracks?

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video live and for free in U.S. primetime on December 8.