“A new me after the loss” - Johan Ghazali promises to bring a ‘newer version’ into Josue Cruz tie after defeat
Teen phenom Johan Ghazali promises that we will see a new and improved version of him following his first loss inside the Circle.
After kickstarting his ONE Championship run with five-straight wins, including a quadrilogy of highlight-reel KOs, 'Jojo' suffered his first setback at ONE 167 in June, coming up short against Vietnamese standout Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat.
Despite the loss, Ghazali has been in good spirits and remains confident that when he returns to the Circle this Friday night, September 6, at ONE 168: Denver, he will be even better than he was before.
“Fans can expect a newer version of me—that’s all," Ghazali said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA. "Everything else is in place, the plan, the knockout power. But like I’ve said in a lot of interviews, this is a new me after the loss.”
Ghazali will face another tough test when he goes toe-to-toe with Mexican slugger Josue Cruz in The Mile High City.
Johan Ghazali and Josue Cruz enter ONE 168: Denver desperate for a win
Like Johan Ghazali, 'Tuzo' will step onto martial arts' biggest global stage at ONE 168: Denver is determined to break back into the win column.
Breaking into the promotion on the back of 17 straight wins on the regional scene, Josue Cruz has failed to bag his first win under the ONE banner, suffering knockout losses against Walter Goncavles at ONE 157 and Sean Climaco at ONE Fight Night 22.
And like his opponent, Cruz thinks those defeats have only made him hungrier and more dangerous as he heads to The Centennial State.
“My mentality is stronger now," Cruz told ONE. "Sometimes you think that losses will set you back, but they’ve matured me as a fighter. They’ve made me realize how I need to fight and what I need to change. I’ve made sure to make some changes in both my mental and physical training."
Will Cruz finally break through and bag his first win in ONE, or will Ghazali see his hand raised for the fifth time in 18 months?
Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.