“I wanted a fight with a big name” - Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat reflects on statement win over Johan Ghazali at ONE 167
Going into their scrap at ONE 167, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat knew that Johan Ghazali would have an advantage in both youth and power. However, it was experience that ultimately won the day.
Squaring off inside the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, 'No.1' was determined to test himself as one of the promotion's best up-and-comers. He not only did that, going toe-to-toe with 'Jojo' on martial arts' biggest stage, but he even walked away with a unanimous decision victory, improving his record inside the Circle to 3-1.
Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA following his big return to the win column at ONE 167, Nguyen knew that choosing to fight Ghazali was a risk, but it was one he was happy to take to prove himself in ONE's stacked flyweight Muay Thai division.
"Yes, right now me and Johan we aren’t the same, you know," Nguyen said. "I’m old, and he’s got the power. He’s very young. My power is not the same as Johan. But yeah, I wanted to fight Johan because I wanted a fight with a big name.
"So I worked hard every day, and trained hard every day so other fighters could take notice of me."
Johan Ghazali in high spirits following his loss to Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167
As for Johan Ghazali, the teen phenom suffered her first loss under the ONE Championship banner since making his promotional debut last year. Snapping his five-fight win streak, 'Jojo' was nothing, but gracious toward his opponent and asked fight fans to not judge him on his loss, but on how he would respond to the defeat.
"Don't judge me on my wins, judge me on how I come back from my losses," Ghazali said on social media following ONE 167. "Thank you for all the support, this is just a small bump in the road and I will be back."
At just 17 years old, Ghazali's career is just getting started and a loss like this could very well be the best thing for him at this early stage in his journey.
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.