“I needed to switch my style” - Johan Ghazali admits opponents were starting to figure him out

Malaysian-American striking phenom 'Jojo' Johan Ghazali admitted that being too complacent has led to his recent struggles inside the Circle.

The 18-year-old Rentap Muaythai Gym and Superbon Training Camp athlete experienced back-to-back defeats for the first time in his ONE Championship career, falling to Johan Estupinan and Diego Paez, respectively.

These setbacks forced ‘Jojo’ to confront an uncomfortable truth, mainly about being too predictable for his opponents.

While speaking with the ONE Championship, Ghazali said:

"From both fights, I think I learned that I needed to switch my style because before, nobody knew who I was – nobody knew the power or the combos I have. However, after several fights, people start studying you, people start realizing, 'Oh, he does this or he does that.'"

Johan Ghazali blazed to a 5-0 start in the promotion, taking opponents off guard with his aggressive style and finishing power. However, rival camps began studying his tendencies, and the road got tougher as he started climbing the talent-stacked flyweight Muay Thai ranks.

Following those lessons, Ghazali now understands that to sustain his early success, he must evolve as a martial artist and adapt to higher-level opposition.

'Jojo' will look to showcase his growth against slugger Zakaria El Jamari at ONE Fight Night 35 on September 5 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Johan Ghazali says he's no longer a one-dimensional striker

Johan Ghazali's offense is punch-heavy, which initially worked early in his career.

However, the 18-year-old acknowledges that there are so many more tricks up his sleeve in 'The Art of Eight Limbs'.

The Malaysian-American fan-favorite told ONE:

"They have so many different styles of fighting, and I can work on my kicks, I can work on my elbows, and so much more. The goal is to really sharpen up my original style, just in case I fight against another tricky opponent."

North American Prime Video subscribers can watch ONE Fight Night 35 free as it happens live in US Primetime