“What the future holds” - Diego Paez says stunning win over young star Johan Ghazali will be the catalyst to his rise in ONE

Diego Paez believes his latest win opened up a realm of possibilities in his ONE Championship career.

The Colombian-American slugger captured a stunning split decision upset win over Johan Ghazali in their flyweight Muay Thai tussle at ONE Fight Night 32 this past weekend at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

In an interview with Nick Atkin, Paez said he spent months dedicating his entire time focusing on Ghazali and their match in Bangkok.

Diego Paez added that taking down the 18-year-old phenom would catapult him to bigger matches in his quest for that ONE Championship gold.

He said:

"But that's why I told you guys in the pre-interview, I'm focused on the present moment, and now we can see what the future holds in store for me."

Paez was coming off a heartbreaking split decision loss against Filipino-American hard man Sean Climaco in his previous match in ONE Championship, and he was desperate for a pivotal win against Ghazali at ONE Fight Night 32.

Sensing Ghazali's aggression from the opening bell, Paez methodically worked behind his counters and stopped 'Jojo's' combinations with well-timed two-punch combinations throughout the fight.

Paez's calculated counters frustrated Ghazali for much of the fight, which only prompted Ghazali to go into his offensive sequences recklessly.

Although Ghazali pushed the pace in the second and third rounds, Paez constantly blanked him with perfectly-timed counters and a calculated clinch game that the Malaysian-American star struggled with.

Paez's tactical approach against Ghazali's rampage ultimately earned him the split decision win in his second Amazon card.

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Diego Paez says Johan Ghazali looked past him at ONE Fight Night 32

Diego Paez immediately sensed that Johan Ghazali wasn't entirely focused on him during their ONE Fight Night 32 showdown.

In the same interview with Nick Atkin, Paez claimed that Ghazali fought "with a lot of ego" and was already looking at his next possible fight in ONE Championship.

Paez said:

"Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, I did think that for sure. I know he fights with a lot of ego, and I saw right through that. I can read people kind of like an empath, and I saw that he looked right past me, and he was already focused on what was to come after."

Check out Diego Paez's entire interview below: