"Losing is a part of life" - Johan Ghazali vows to bounce back after first loss in ONE Championship
Johan Ghazali had a humble reaction to his first Muay Thai loss under the ONE Championship banner.
At ONE 167, Ghazali attempted to extend his promotional record to 6-0 by taking out Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat.
Heading into the June 7 event, the 17-year-old was seen as a sizeable favorite against his Vietnamese opponent after securing four of his five wins by knockout.
Unfortunately for 'Jojo,' he was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision loss inside the Thai capital.
There was minimal controversy from the result, as most fans agreed that Nguyen deserved to get his hand raised inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
During an interview with ONE, Johan Ghazali released the following statement following his first promotional loss:
"I've lost before. I've lost in life. Losing is a part of life. Don't judge me on my wins. Judge me on how I come back from my losses."
ONE 167 featured several entertaining matchups, including Johan Ghazali vs Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat, Rodtang vs Denis Puric, and Tawanchai vs Jo Nattawut II.
The replay of last Friday's event can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
What's next for Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat after defeating Johan Ghazali at ONE 167?
Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat was coming off a loss against Denis Puric when he fought Johan Ghazali at ONE 167.
The 35-year-old ONE flyweight Muay Thai contender silenced the doubters with an impressive win against 'Jojo,' potentially setting him up for a ranked opponent next time out.
Nguyen isn't ranked in the ONE flyweight Muay Thai division. With that said, the Vietnamese striker deserves an opportunity to face a top-five opponent.
Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, he could find himself matched up against Jacob Smith, Dedduanglek, or Elias Mahmoudi later this year.
As for Ghazali, the 17-year-old has plenty of time to learn from his loss at ONE 167 and bounce back to become a world champion.