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31-year-old Colombian-American Muay Thai veteran Diego Paez was beaming with confidence when the final bell rang in his three-round war with Malaysian-American phenom 'Jojo' Johan Ghazali last weekend.
The two met at ONE Fight Night 32: Nakrob vs. Jaosuayai on Prime Video, where the Classic Fight Team representative turned in one of the finest performances of his career to score a hard-fought split decision victory to finally notch one in the win column in the world's largest martial arts organization.
Speaking to veteran MMA reporter Nick Atkin of Bangkok Post in a recent interview, Paez talked about why he believed his hand would be raised at the end of the fight.
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The 31-year-old said:
"I was confident that it would go my way. I felt like I was picking and choosing and hitting the cleaner shots. But the only thing that held me, made me hesitant, was the judges because I know I thought I was going to win the last fight, and it didn't go that way."
With the victory, Paez is now 1-1 in ONE Championship, with a very important victory under his belt.
ONE Fight Night 32: Nakrob vs. Jaosuayai on Prime Video went down live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand last Saturday, June 7. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Diego Paez on notching first victory in ONE Championship: "It feels like a dream come true"
Colombian-American star Diego Paez didn't get the start he wanted in the world's largest martial arts organization, losing a close fight to Sean Climaco last February.
But the 31-year-old is finally on the board with a win last weekend at ONE Fight Night 32 on Prime Video, against such a credible opponent in Johan Ghazali, no less.
He told Nick Atkin:
"So this time around, especially being Johan, as I said, he's been promoted so much, I didn't know how it was going to go. But it's nice to have honest judges and to be where I belong and to get my hand raised. It feels like a dream come true."
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Diego Paez's next fight.
