‘Don’t Say We’re Friends’ – Johan Ghazali Shuts Down Ramadan Ondash’s Friendship Narrative, Questions His Maturity
Ramadan “The Scorpion” Ondash can call it a friendship all he wants. But Johan “Jojo” Ghazali is not buying that talk ahead of their co-main event showdown at The Inner Circle 24.
The 19-year-old strikers will lock horns in a heated flyweight Muay Thai battle at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium this Friday, July 31.
This Asia primetime spectacle, headlined by a massive World Title fight, will be exclusively available to subscribers at live.onefc.com, and there seems to be some genuine animosity between the two teenage stars.
The root of this matchup traces back to this past May, just moments after Ondash defeated Suriyanlek Por Yenying via unanimous decision in his flyweight Muay Thai debut. Following that victory, the Lebanese phenom grabbed the microphone and made his intentions clear.
Ondash wanted Ghazali next, and he framed the request in warm terms – brotherhood, friendship, mutual respect, the works. The Malaysian-American knockout artist accepted the fight without hesitation. The romantic framing around it, however, is something that has left him puzzled.
“Jojo” said:
“After he called me out, I was like, ‘Okay, I thought, you want to be all brave and call me out,’ which is fine. But don’t say we’re friends or any of that bullsh*t. Like, yeah, I know him. I would say we are friends at arm’s length. That’s what it is.
“We’re not close friends. We used to fight in the same tournaments all the time. But we never really hung out. We did talk whenever we met, but I never thought of him as a super close friend.”
The supposed friendship aside, there is a bigger issue eating at the Rentap Muaythai Gym and Superbon Training Camp representative heading into fight week.
Ondash views this matchup as an opportunity to borrow his star power and build a case for a shot at reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Asadula “The Dagestan Ninja” Imangazaliev.
It is a read that leaves little room for sentiment, and Ghazali is not shy about saying so.
The Malaysian-American told onefc.com:
“He knows this fight will be the biggest one yet for him. He has to get past me. I’m ready for a fighter of his style and his caliber. I love this type of brawl-style fight. This is always my bread and butter.
“I see Ramadan as a version of myself from two to three years ago in terms of an experience standpoint. I have the experience now, and I’m a little more mature than him heading into this fight.”
Ghazali arrives at The Inner Circle 24 looking to bounce back from a hard-fought defeat to Shimon Yoshinari at ONE SAMURAI 1 this past April, a contest in which he acquitted himself well despite coming up short.
That motivation to return to the win column, paired with Ondash’s insistence on framing this as a match between friends, has “Jojo” fully locked in to deliver one of the best performances of his young and ever-evolving career.
Making a statement does not mean abandoning strategy, however.
Ghazali continued:
“I’m gonna approach this fight a little more calm and steady. I’ll take my time picking my shots because he’s known to fade when he doesn’t land those left hooks. But if he starts fast, I can match it, but I would rather control the fight.
“Another big thing is that this will be his second flyweight fight. He fought Suriyanlek, who I don’t think is a real flyweight. It’s going to be different when he’s in there with me, especially once he feels that power in his face.”
‘Jojo’ Isn’t Buying The Tough Guy Act
Confidence radiates from Johan Ghazali heading into this showdown, and it extends well beyond questioning the “friendship” narrative.
The Malaysian-American has clearly studied how Ramadan Ondash handles adversity, pointing specifically to his lone promotional blemish against newly crowned ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Aliff Sor Dechapan this past December.
He offered:
“Ramadan fights very emotionally, and you can see in some fights that his confidence fades after he doesn’t get what he wants. We all saw that against Aliff. Those clips tell a lot about his character and the person he is.
“For me, if I lose, I take it on the chin. I don’t go around giving f**king excuses, saying people are running. But he clearly lost. He’s not experienced enough or mature enough to be able to accept it.”
Coming from a fellow 19-year-old, the assessment carries a certain weight. Ghazali talks and battles with a poise that belies his age, and he believes that same composure will be the deciding factor against “The Scorpion.”
Asked how confident he would feel getting his hand raised, “Jojo” did not flinch. The Malaysian-American sounds extremely certain about how he will claim victory in this high-stakes clash at The Inner Circle 24.
Ghazali pointed out:
“I think a calculated [version of] me will win the fight. And I think if it goes three rounds, I’ll definitely win it. I wouldn’t say stay calm, but I’ll still push the pace, but very maturely, very smartly.
“I’m gonna do it in my favor in the ways that I’ve learned through experience from fighting good fighters. I’ll use all of my advantages to keep him guessing, and I don’t want to be reliant on just one thing.”
