‘I Beat Him In All Aspects’ – Evolved Johan Ghazali Eyes Sweet Revenge Against Diego Paez At The Inner Circle 35
Johan “Jojo” Ghazali has had this date circled on his calendar since June of last year, and he fully intends to collect exactly what he believes he is owed.
The 19-year-old gets his long-awaited shot at payback against gritty Colombian-American striker Diego Paez in a flyweight Muay Thai rematch at The Inner Circle 35. The action broadcasts live in Asia primetime exclusively for subscribers at live.onefc.com from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 16.
Their initial meeting at ONE Fight Night 32 is where this bitter story begins — a three-round firefight in which neither man gave an inch.
Ghazali relentlessly marched forward behind heavy combinations and a stout guard, while the Southern Californian answered with slippery footwork, sharp counters, and a highly creative bag of tricks. When the final scorecards were tallied, Paez earned a razor-thin split decision to secure the first win of his ONE Championship tenure.
The Malaysian-American phenom has spent well over a year replaying those three rounds in his head, and he has plenty to say about what he saw.
Ghazali told onefc.com:
“I feel like I landed more clean shots. I rushed in a bit too fast, and he was smart and took advantage of my hunger to win. If you watch that last fight closely, none of his spinning strikes actually landed clearly.
“I can only remember one spinning back kick that landed, but I returned with fire straight away. I know the improvements I need to make. The first fight was very close, but honestly, I’ve never been more confident.”
Unshakable confidence has always been Ghazali’s defining calling card.
The Rentap Muaythai Gym and Superbon Training Camp product has backed it up with highlight-reel knockouts, absorbed tough setbacks along the way, and capped a dominant early run with a performance that earned him a life-changing US$100,000 main roster contract.
After the initial loss to Paez, he rebounded with two straight victories over Zakaria El Jamari and Ye Yint Naung. While the ensuing setbacks certainly stung, “Jojo” has kept his head held high and his eyes firmly pointed forward.
The Sarawakian knockout artist shared:
“Sometimes life doesn’t go your way. I just get over it and do what I can. It doesn’t affect me mentally. I get more and more confident each time I fight. It’s just a matter of time before my time comes.”
Perhaps this high-stakes rematch was always written in the stars. Paez arrives fresh off a bump of his own — a narrow loss to Black Panther at ONE Fight Night 42 this past April — while Ghazali’s most recent defeat came at the hands of Ramadan “The Scorpion” Ondash.
Both of those conquering names now sit in the field for the loaded 2026-2027 ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix, a fact that speaks volumes about the elite level at which both Ghazali and Paez have been operating.
He continued:
“I’m more than happy to be losing against the best in the world rather than fighting nobodies and winning. Because of this, I learned so much. I’m able to improve my game at a much faster pace, albeit with the sacrifice of me losing.
“I believe in God’s timing, above all. I have time. Sometimes God doesn’t give you what you want, and he gives you something better. It is what it is. I’m focused on this fight.”
Ghazali Maps Out The Payback Plan
Indeed, Johan Ghazali is completely locked in for his revenge mission at The Inner Circle 35. The 19-year-old has gone through the footage of their first fight with a fine-toothed comb, and while Diego Paez has given him plenty of tape to study, he firmly believes he now possesses all the answers.
Battle-tested after three straight down-to-the-wire fights in ONE, the 32-year-old Paez wins on elite timing and surgical precision rather than raw, unbridled power.
That tricky blend of attributes is exactly what made their first meeting so tight, and Ghazali has had more than a year to weigh it against his own evolving game.
“Jojo” explained:
“He is a tough fighter who is hard to catch. But it doesn’t concern me. I still feel like I’m the better fighter, and if you zoom out, the pressure is on him. I’m 19. I have nothing to lose.
“He can be as hungry as he wants to. But none of his hunger will worry me too much. I’m dialed in, and I’m ready to k*ll.”
More than a year has passed since that fateful night in June, and Ghazali has packed plenty of crucial growth into the ensuing months.
Four fights have come in that busy stretch — two wins and two defeats — and much of the grueling work in between has been done at Bangkok’s renowned Superbon Training Camp alongside some of the absolute best in the business.
Fight night is where he plans to showcase exactly what all of that labor has built, and he possesses a crystal-clear picture of how he can smash his way to a 28th career victory.
The 19-year-old added:
“I’m much faster, more experienced, and I have much better weapons since the last time we fought. I think I beat him in all aspects. It could end in a knockout or me cruising to the end and beating him on points. My options are open. I’ll gladly take the win with either scenario.”
