ONE Championship: Malaysian Muay Thai fighter Johan Ghazali set for ‘big league’ debut, celebrates 17th birthday
- Ghazali warns rivals ‘it’s the I’m only 17 era’ ahead of his main roster arrival against Edgar Tabares next month in Bangkok
- ‘Finally getting my chance in the big leagues. In other words, welcome to the jungle. Let’s do this,’ ONE Friday Fights standout says
Malaysian-American Muay Thai fighter Johan Ghazali has warned his rivals “it's the I’m only 17 era” after celebrating his birthday ahead of his ONE Championship main roster debut.
Ghazali, then aged 16, became the youngest fighter to earn a multi-fight contract from ONE’s weekly Friday Fights cards at Lumpinee Stadium after a third knockout victory in four fights last month.
Asia-based martial arts promotion ONE has fast-tracked him into the spotlight, with Ghazali set to face former flyweight Muay Thai title challenger Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 17 in Bangkok on December 9.
“Finally getting my chance in the big leagues. In other words, ‘Welcome to the jungle’. Let’s do this,” he wrote in a social media post after the fight was announced.
Ghazali then turned 17 years old on Tuesday, but did not let the celebrations interrupt his preparations.
“Spending my birthday around people who love me and have been there since the beginning. Thank you everyone,” he wrote on Instagram, alongside a video of himself being given a birthday cake at Malaysia’ Rentap Muay Thai gym.
Ghazali made frighteningly quick work of Padetsuek Fairtex on his ONE Friday Fights debut in February, finishing the Thai with a right hook after just 16 seconds.
He earned another US$10,000 performance bonus for another knockout in his second fight, this time coming against Tai SorJor Piek-U-Thai in the third round of their clash in May.
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After a decision victory over Samurai Seeopal in July, he scored a US$100,000 ONE Championship contract for finishing Russian Temirlan Bekmurzaev in October.
“The ‘I’m only sixteen’ era has come to an end, be ready for the ‘I’m only 17’ era,” he wrote in another Instagram post on his birthday.
A former WBC Muay Thai international champion, Mexico’s Tabares is coming off two defeats in ONE, having suffered a first-round TKO at the hands of Elias Mahmoudi in August.
He was finished in the second round by Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE’s on-ground US debut in Denver in May.
“We’re going to put our heart in practise and in the ring,” he said of his coming fight against Ghazali.
