‘It’s Going To Be A Show’ – Diego Paez Eager To Derail Johan Ghazali’s Hype Train At ONE Fight Night 32

Diego Paez is determined to bounce back from a difficult promotional debut and display the full breadth of his skills at ONE Fight Night 32 on Prime Video.

On June 6 in U.S. primetime, the Colombian-American striker will go toe-to-toe with teenage sensation Johan “Jojo” Ghazali in an explosive flyweight Muay Thai clash at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

After Paez dropped a closely contested split decision to Sean “The One” Climaco in February at ONE Fight Night 28, he is motivated to kick-start a new winning stretch – and he plans to do it against one of Muay Thai’s most exciting young talents.

The 31-year-old Californian knows he’s in for a dangerous challenge against Ghazali, who has already racked up five highlight-reel knockouts in ONE.

But despite his opponent’s youth, confidence, and show-stopping power, Paez thinks his own veteran savvy will be a difference-maker on fight night, and he’s ecstatic about the opportunity to face such a highly touted foe.

He told onefc.com:

“I’m actually thrilled on the matchup. It’s a great matchup, and it excites me. He’s a young up-and-comer, and he’s got a big fan base. And not only does he have a big fan base, he’s got a ferocious style and an aggressive style.

“Sometimes, unfortunately, I like to get hit to wake up, but I’m not worried about having that issue this time around, considering the opponent. So I’m excited. It’s going to be a show for sure.”

A cerebral fighter who approaches every bout with a tactical mindset, Paez believes that Ghazali’s aggressive – and occasionally reckless – tendencies will work against him.

For his part, the Classic Fight Team product possesses the crafty footwork and crispy counter-striking to give the forward-marching “Jojo” problems.

But even with a stick-and-move game plan, Paez knows that at some point in the fight, he’ll have to go blow-for-blow with the Malaysian-American phenom:

“I think it’s stylistically a great matchup. He’s a come-forward guy. He can destroy, and I like to stick and move. I like to use all of my tools, and based off his losses that I’ve seen, he seems to have trouble with people that move and don’t stay right in front of him.

“So I think that’s going to play a huge factor in this fight. Obviously, there’s a time and place where I’m going to have to sit down and bite down and fight. And I’m very excited for that because always something big comes from it.”

Of course, Paez would be happy with a first-round knockout. He’s hoping for much more than a fast finish, though.

He envisions an all-out war at ONE Fight Night 32 and will be aiming for a stoppage in the later rounds – only after he’s been able to showcase everything that he’s capable of:

“I would love to finish him, but I want to be able to show all of my skills and my toughness, as well. So I think ideally, it would be cool to have a back-and-forth, hard-fought victory, and for it to end not by the judges, but by a finish, like a technical knockout or a knockout. I think that would be ideal for me and also the fans.”

Paez Feels Ready To Make His Mark In ONE

Diego Paez’s debut on the global stage didn’t go according to plan.

With his loss to Sean Climaco in the rearview mirror, he’s now firing on all cylinders and hungry to prove himself in the talent-stacked flyweight Muay Thai division with an unforgettable showing against Johan Ghazali:

“This is my second fight under ONE, and I didn’t get the performance that I would like to get in the first one, but I’m excited to go out there and really establish myself in this promotion and get the respect that I deserve. I think this fight is going to be probably the best fight of the night.”

Considering each athlete’s well-rounded style and penchant for throwing down at a frantic pace, Paez’s Fight of the Night prediction has merit.

Looking beyond the June 6 U.S. primetime clash, the Colombian-American said that he’s always willing to step up against tough opposition, and that mindset won’t change one bit if he climbs the divisional ranks:

“Whoever they offer me, I always say ‘yeah.’ To me, I don’t like to put too much pressure into what’s to come after. I just want to focus on the goal at hand to get the victory. And from there, we can move forward.”