Teen phenom Johan Ghazali says star status continues to thrive in Malaysia: "Hopefully, I'll go down as a legend"

Teenage striking sensation Johan Ghazali doesn't plan to slow down in his bid to become a sporting icon in Malaysia.

The 18-year-old Muay Thai fighter's following has increased tenfold since he blitzed Padetsuk Fairtex in just 16 seconds during his ONE Friday Fights debut in February 2023.

With five more triumphs in the world's largest martial arts organization and a US$100,000 contract to compete on the main roster already in the bag, the Rentap Muay Thai Gym and Superbon Training Camp representative is well on his way there.

"I love the fans. I love my people, and one day, hopefully, I'll go down as a legend," he told Combat Sports Today.

While he loves the support and messages he constantly receives from fans, Johan Ghazali, who has almost two million followers across TikTok and Instagram, revealed his fame does come at a cost.

The knockout merchant, who returns for his ninth outing in the promotion in a flyweight Muay Thai matchup against Diego Paez at ONE Fight Night 32, admitted that anonymous outings in his home country are starting to get difficult, too.

But since he decided to shift his camp to Superbon Training Camp in Bangkok, Johan finds comfort in being fully locked in for his fights:

"Honestly, I feel like I already can't go anywhere right now [in Malaysia]," he added. "In Bangkok, it's nice, and it's peaceful, but Malaysia gets kind of crazy sometimes."

Watch his interview with Combat Sports Today here:

ONE Fight Night 32 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada, live in U.S. primetime on June 6.

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Johan Ghazali has redemption on his mind after he aces Diego Paez test

Johan Ghazali suffered his second loss in his past three outings when he took to the Circle against Johan Estupinan at ONE 170 this past January,

Though he started strong, even sending the JCFernandez and Team CSK athlete down in round one, the 18-year-old was knocked off his sail in the later rounds by 'Panda Kick.'

If he gets past Paez at ONE Fight Night 32, 'Jojo' admitted during the same interview that he'd be keen to settle the score with an aim to unseat Estupinan from his No. 5-ranked spot:

"As of now, after Diego Paez, I want to rematch...I want to rematch with the guy from my last fight because right now, he's the number five-ranked. So, I want to get things right."