ONE Fight Night 32: “Just shows that I belong” - Johan Ghazali says there’s no shame in coming up short against undefeated phenom Johan Estupinan

18-year-old Malaysian Muay Thai sensation Johan Ghazali is coming off a heartbreaking setback to Colombian star Johan Estupinan, but the teenage prospect says there's no shame in losing to a fellow phenom.

Ghazali dropped a close unanimous decision loss to Estupinan at ONE 170 last January in Bangkok, Thailand.

Speaking to South China Morning Post in a recent interview, 'Jojo' talked about his loss to 'Panda Kick' earlier this year.

The Rentap Muaythai Gym representative said:

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"Even before the fight, we knew Estupinan was going to be a hard fight. He’s top-five ranked now, so I think other people think he’s pretty good as well. So even me giving him a good fight, it just shows that I belong at the top."

Johan Ghazali is set to return to action next month when he faces Colombian-American star Diego Paez.

The two lock horns in a three-round flyweight Muay Thai bout at ONE Fight Night 32 on Prime Video, which will broadcast live in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 6, from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Johan Ghazali has been working with Superbon for upcoming fight: "I think he really wants me to win"

Malaysian phenom 'Jojo' Johan Ghazali is back in camp with Thai kickboxing icon Superbon, and this time, the 18-year-old believes they will come up with the winning formula.

Ghazali told South China Morning Post:

"Superbon has been training me daily, he’s been holding pads for me. This is actually pretty shocking, so he’s been holding pads for me daily. I think he really wants me to win."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Johan Ghazali's next fight.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi