Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat Isn’t Underestimating Johan Ghazali Ahead Of ONE 167

Add as a preferred source on Google

Vietnamese striking specialist Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat has seen a lot of fighters excel across his Muay Thai career, but even he admits there haven't been many rising stars like 17-year-old phenom Johan Ghazali.

"No. 1" meets "Jojo" at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Saturday, 8 June, inside Bangkok, Thailand's Impact Arena in flyweight Muay Thai action. Despite the 18-year age gap between them, Duy Nhat expects a fight like no other from the young finisher.

In fact, Ghazali is often compared to ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The Vietnam native knows there's weight to those words, so he won't set foot inside the Circle expecting anything less than a firefight.

"Yes, Johan's style is quite similar to Rodtang. Both have nice striking skills, knockout power, the same aggressiveness, and a crazy ability to absorb damage. I can see why people are comparing them," he said.

"Johan started training and fighting when he was just a boy, so even with the age difference, I won't treat him like a young fighter with little experience."

Unless you've been living under a rock, everybody has been talking about young Ghazali. He has amassed a 5-0 slate in ONE, with four knockouts along the way. But Duy Nhat has also gathered steam of his own.

The 35-year-old opened his account with back-to-back finishes of Azwan Che Wil and Yuta Watanabe. The Vietnamese man's momentum did come to a halt against Denis Puric last December, though.

Getting back in the win column is imperative for "No. 1." Doing so against roaring Ghazali will not be easy. But when it comes down to experience and wisdom, Duy Nhat believes he has the tools to make the youngster's weapons also be his downfall.

"He has the mind of a relentless brawler. He launches himself into the fray and fights with all the fire in his soul. He punches with 100 percent power, which makes him quite a scary opponent when engaging in a battle," Duy Nhat said. "But his strengths are also his weaknesses. Putting too much power on each and every strike is not always wise.

"I'm curious to see how he will act if his striking combos get countered or aren't as damaging as he wanted, and what he will do if he doesn't get the upper hand in exchanging strikes. I will test those in the fight."