Johan Ghazali believes "speed and technique" will help him finish Josue Cruz: "It'll come in handy"

Belief in one's ability is crucial for success in any professional sport. Muay Thai prodigy Johan Ghazali has it in spades ahead of his flyweight Muay Thai bout against Josue Cruz at ONE 168: Denver on September 6.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 17-year-old Malaysian-American outlined his path to victory inside the Ball Arena:

"To get the knockout won't be easy. But if I have my speed and techniques sorted, I should be able to achieve it. Those two, yeah, it'll come in handy against [Josue] Cruz."

View this post on Instagram

Instagram Post

This upcoming bout holds great importance for the Rentap Muay Thai Gym star as he is coming off his first loss under the ONE Championship banner at the hands of Vietnamese star Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat at ONE 167 this past June.

While he is no stranger to defeat in his pro career, having absorbed five of them before his loss to 'No.1', Ghazali must show the fans at ONE 168: Denver that he can learn from his previous shortcomings to become an even more dangerous fighter.

Johan Ghazali expects non-stop action in Josue Cruz showdown at ONE 168

Johan Ghazali and Josue Cruz have similar fighting styles in the sense that they can push the pace of the fight and still have the finesse to pull off the fight-ending blow.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, 'Jojo' opened up on how his bout with 'Tuzo' at ONE 168: Denver inside the Ball Arena on September 6 could potentially play out:

"We're both going to be aggressive, that's certain. It'll make this fight more exciting, and we'll see who falls first."

Watch ONE 168: Denver live in U.S. primetime inside the Ball Arena on September 6 by purchasing tickets via Ticketmaster.