“It’s Really Cool to Be Associated With a Legend”- Johan Ghazali Embraces Comparisons to Rodtang but Wants to Carve His Own Path

Johan Ghazali is gaining the attention of ONE Championship fans because of his fighting style, which many see as similar to a Muay Thai legend, but he’s hoping to establish himself thanks to his own unique skill set.

The Malaysian-American phenom is set to make his U.S. Primetime debut for the promotion when he takes on Edgar Tabares in a flyweight Muay Thai battle at ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts on Friday, December 8, with their bout and the rest of the all-Muay Thai card going down live inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Johan Ghazali is all set to take on Edgar Tabares in his next fight

Ghazali produced four exciting wins on the promotion’s weekly ONE Friday Fights series to earn a six-figure contract to compete at ONE’s marquee shows, and fans quickly began to compare him to ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon due to his striking prowess.

While he appreciates being associated with “The Iron Man,” the 17-year-old knows he has a long way to go before reaching the Thai fighter’s status as a global superstar.

“It can’t be done fast or anything. It’s hard work, dedication, and maybe a little more experience fighting against top fighters. It will be hard to achieve that sort of level, but I wouldn’t say it’s impossible,” Ghazali told ONE in an interview. 

“It’s really cool to be associated with a legend like that. Even in Malaysia, my nickname is already ‘Rodtang Melayu’ (Malay Rodtang). That’s what the community in Thailand and Malaysia know me as. But honestly, I don’t want to be remembered as the next Rodtang. I want to be remembered as Johan Ghazali.”

The young prodigy wants to create a legacy

Being compared to Rodtang at such a young age can certainly help put more eyes on a fighter, but Ghazali hopes to have plenty of time to show how different he is from the flyweight Muay Thai king. He aims to do so one fight at a time as he works his way towards an opportunity to fight for ONE gold. 

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“Of course, every ONE Championship fighter’s dream is to be the ONE World Champion. The same goes for me, too. It would be great to get a shot to fight for the World Title one day.” “So, at the moment, I’m taking one fight at a time to try and achieve that dream.” Ghazali said.

Fans in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 17 live and for free on Amazon Prime Video with an active subscription in U.S. primetime this Friday, December 8.