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Johan Ghazali hopes to take Muay Thai to the next level by becoming a Conor McGregor-like influence on the sport.
ONE Championship has improved the overall presence of Muay Thai worldwide, showcased by Superlek's support from fans at ONE 168 in North America.
Despite its continuous growth, "The Art of Eight Limbs" has an opportunity to expand and potentially become a household sport, such as MMA and boxing.
While speaking to Combat Sports Today, Ghazali, a ONE flyweight Muay Thai phenom, had this to say about helping his sport grow:
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"Of course, we're all respectful behind the scenes, but why is Muay Thai not as big as MMA? We need a McGregor, and hopefully that McGregor is me."
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Conor McGregor helped make MMA a mainstream sport through his reckless antics and entertaining fighting performances. Muay Thai could struggle to find similar success in that aspect, as "The Art of Eight Limbs" was built on respect and honor between opponents.
Watch Johan Ghazali's entire interview with Combat Sports Today below:
Johan Ghazali plans to "win in style" at ONE Fight Night 32
On January 24, Johan Ghazali suffered his second defeat in ONE Championship, a unanimous decision loss against fellow young flyweight phenom Johan Estupinan.
Ghazali, aged 18, has embraced the ups and downs of his journey and plans to bounce back at ONE Fight Night 32 on June 8. The Malaysian-American teenager has been matched up against Columbian-American veteran Diego Paez.
During the previously mentioned interview, Ghazali had this to say about making a statement in his upcoming fight:
"After my last fight, you know, I want to get revenge, and I'm just more motivated to get this win...I need to win in style here."
ONE Fight Night 32 will take place inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Next month's event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Following Johan Ghazali vs. Diego Paez, the following matchups are also scheduled for ONE Fight Night 32 - Allycia Hellen Rodriguez vs. Shir Cohen (women's atomweight Muay Thai world title main event), Nakrob vs. Jaosuayai (flyweight Muay Thai co-main event), and more.
