“A future world champion” - Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat says Johan Ghazali destined for greatness after taking his ‘0’
Though he may have handed teen phenom Johan Ghazali his first loss inside the Circle, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat still believes 'Jojo' is destined to become a world champion one day.
Making his sixth appearance for the promotion, Johan Ghazali put his '0' under the ONE banner on the line against Nguyen at ONE 167 inside the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
After three intense rounds of back-and-forth action, 'No.1' saw his hand raised via a unanimous decision, much to the disappointment of the Malaysian-American phenom.
Still, following one of the biggest wins of his ONE career, Nguyen sang the praises of his opponent during a post-fight interview with the promotion.
“Johan is young and strong. He has a strong mind as well, and he will certainly be a future world champion of ONE Championship.”
With the victory, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat moved to 3-1 in ONE, 15-4 overall. Meanwhile, Ghazali fell to 5-1 inside the Circle and 24-7 overall.
What's next for Johan Ghazali and Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat after ONE 167?
Though it was his first time coming up short since signing with ONE Championship last year, Johan Ghazali knows that the setback will only help him in the future as he works to bounce back in a big way on martial arts' biggest global stage.
"I've lost before. I've lost in life," Ghazali said in his own interview with the promotion. "Losing is a part of life. Don't judge me on my wins. Judge me on how I come back from my losses."
What's next for 'Jojo' remains to be seen, but after winning three of his first four fights inside the Circle, Nguyen could very well find himself going up against a top-five fighter in the loaded flyweight Muay Thai division.
Who would you like to see 'No.1' paired up with next?
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE 167 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video