“Use more fakes” - Johan Ghazali says loss to Johan Estupinan showed him the holes he needed to fix

Malaysian-American rising star Johan Ghazali takes every loss in stride, particularly the harsh lessons that come with it. While admittedly pained by his setback against fellow striking phenom Johan Estupinan last January, the 18-year-old prodigy admitted it opened his eyes about the things he needed to improve on.

'Jojo' recently participated in a Reddit AMA session ahead of his return against Diego Paez this Friday at ONE Fight Night 32: Nakrob vs Jaosuayai on Prime Video.

Reddit user i_like_tikoy asked:

"What did you learn from the Estupinan loss that you incorporated for the Paez fight?"

The Superbon Training Camp and Rentap Muaythai affiliate wrote back:

"I learned to use more feints, more fakes, and use more of my arsenal and footwork."

Source: Reddit AMA

To be fair, Johan Ghazali had his moments against the undefeated Estupinan and even scored a knockdown against the electric Colombian. However, 'Jojo' once again fell back on old habits of loading up too much on one-hitter quitters instead of setting up his power punches with combinations.

It became a one-sided affair once Estupinan dissected Ghazali's patterns, and he cruised to a dominant unanimous decision victory.

Rewatch Johan Ghazali vs Johan Estupinan, here:

Johan Ghazali says he embraces pressure

Johan Ghazali has achieved a lot in his career at just 18 years of age. He's had his fair share of ups and downs, but it's clear that the sky is the limit for this prodigious talent.

In a Sportskeeda MMA exclusive, 'Jojo' said he learned to embrace the pressure that comes from the massive hype surrounding him.

"The pressure is always there, fighting against top guys in ONE Championship. So, pressure is there–yes. But I don’t think there’s any real added pressure. Just going out there to do my job and hoping for it to be another good night."

Don't miss Johan Ghazali's quest for redemption at ONE Fight Night 32 against Diego Paez on June 6, live at U.S. primetime from Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium. The full event is free for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.