"It was harder to cut off my opponents" - Johan Ghazali on what went wrong in disappointing setback to Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat

Johan Ghazali is looking to bounce back after suffering his first loss under the ONE Championship banner.

The teenage prospect was on a ruthless run coming into ONE 167 where he was finishing opponents left, right and center.

On June 7 at the Impact Arena, he came up against Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat where the experience advantage his opponent had over him ended up playing a crucial role in the fight.

Ghazali looked to put the pressure on from the start. but it backfired on him, as he ended up sparking a fire fight with his opponent.

The teenager may have suffered his first defeat but he came away from the fight with a vital lesson learned, particularly with regards to competing in the ring, instead of the Circle.

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, he spoke about how the change in environment affected his ability to walk down his opponent:

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"I learned a lot, you know. One of the biggest things is that I underestimated the difference between the Circle and the ring because I'm a pressure fighter and it was more difficult and harder to cut off my opponents."

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Johan Ghazali will come back stronger

Losses can end up being extremely beneficial for a fighter early on in their careers and now, it's up to Johan Ghazali to show how he deals with adversity.

Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat got the win on that night, but it was his opponent that will have taken the most from that experience.

He is now set to return at ONE 168 when he gets the opportunity to compete on U.S. soil against Josue Cruz.

We will likely see a new and improved Ghazali come Sept. 6 and whilst he will look to put on a show as always, securing the win will be the most important goal.

The Thai striker will be looking to come back with a vengeance after gaining some invaluable experience in his last outing.

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.

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