“I'm the youngest signed ONE Championship fighter” - Phenom Johan Ghazali proud of his career accomplishments at 18
Malaysian-American striking sensation Johan Ghazali admitted the magnitude of earning a six-figure contract from ONE Championship just sank in for him.
'Jojo', who just turned 17 years old at the time, secured a $100,000 contract from the home of martial arts after demolishing Temirlan Bekmurzaev and going 4-0 at ONE Friday Fights.
Appearing as a guest on Goated Combat's YouTube channel, Ghazali said he tried to downplay the incredible achievement, but said he was very honored to make history.
"It still shocks me. You know, at the time when I signed, I was like, 'No biggie.' But now that I see how hard it is to get the contract and how hard other people are trying."
The Rentap Muay Thai and Superbon Training Camp athlete continued:
"To be able to say that I'm the youngest signed ONE Championship fighter ever is - I mean, besides Victoria Lee. But it shocks myself when I think about it. At that time, when I actually won the contract I was like maybe it's not that big of a deal. But now that I look back at it, it's actually pretty crazy. So, I guess I'm blessed."
Watch the full interview:
Johan Ghazali doesn't see anything special in Diego Paez
So far, Johan Ghazali has had mixed results since transitioning to the main roster, going 2-2 in his last four bouts.
The 18-year-old certainly wants to turn his luck around when he returns this coming Friday at ONE Fight Night 32: Rodrigues vs Cohen on Prime Video.
'Jojo' is eager to get back to his winning ways against dangerous foe Diego Paez inside Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium on June 6.
In the same interview, a confident Ghazali revealed why he's not too worried about his opponent's abilities.
"He's more than a decade older than me. Obviously has more experience than me. I would expect that. And other than that, I've watched his fights. He's an okay fighter."
ONE Fight Night 32 will air live in US Primetime, free for Prime Video subscribers in North America