"You just woke up the bear" - Chatri Sityodtong says young phenom Johan Ghazali has a similar killer instinct to Rodtang

ONE Championship has a handful of young stars on their roster, and rising Muay Thai sensation Johan Ghazali is making his case to be the next big thing.

The 17-year-old Malaysian-American has been on most fans' radar since joining the promotion in February 2023 as he produced a 16-second knockout in his debut against Padetsuk Fairtex.

With four of his five victories coming by way of knockout, Ghazali's star is very much on the rise, and no one is more impressed with his potential than ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

In a video posted on ONE Championship's Instagram, Sityodtong drew parallels between 'Jojo' and ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

He said:

"Gameness is the desire, that killer instinct, and 'Jojo' has it in spades. He's like Rodtang. You tag him, and you just created a much bigger problem for yourself. Obviously, 'Jojo' is a phenomenal athlete."

Sityodtong then added:

He's got amazing Muay Thai, he has the charisma, but I think what really sets him apart is his gameness. And if you hurt him, you tag him, you just woke up the bear."

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Johan Ghazali aiming for fifth knockout at ONE 167

Johan Ghazali will be competing this Friday, June 7 at ONE 167 against the hard-hitting Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ghazali believes he will claim another knockout win as he told ONE Championship:

"Like any other fight, I'm going for the knockout, hopefully in the later rounds, maybe round two or three. I believe I'll tire him out by then and then it'll allow me to get the finish a bit easier."

ONE 167 will air live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.