The Inner Circle 35 Co-Main Event Result: Ghazali Settles The Score With Paez In Three-Round Thriller
Johan “Jojo” Ghazali exacted sweet revenge in the flyweight Muay Thai co-main event of The Inner Circle 35, outpointing Diego Paez to secure a unanimous decision victory. The highly anticipated rematch streamed exclusively for members of The Inner Circle via live.onefc.com in Asia primetime on Friday, October 16, live from Bangkok’s fabled Lumpinee Stadium.
After suffering a razor-close split-decision loss in their first encounter, a noticeably evolved “Jojo” established his offense early behind a tight high guard, textbook jabs, and punishing body kicks. Paez confidently answered the pressure with a clean left hook and a sharp step-in knee, but Ghazali closed the opening round strictly on his own terms with a sneaky, slicing elbow to the temple.
With his confidence building, Ghazali turned up the heat in the second frame. He stalked Paez across the ring, digging in with looping body shots and heavy overhand rights. The Colombian-American fired back with a flashy spinning body kick, but Ghazali remained perfectly composed, effectively punctuating the round with a crisp one-two combination.
Sensing the fight slipping away, Paez desperately dragged Ghazali into the clinch to open the final round. Ghazali swiftly broke free and fired right back with the relentless head and body attacks that had been finding their mark all night, before the pair exchanged a thrilling final flurry as the clock expired.
In the end, Ghazali’s ironclad grit and clinical precision proved to be the ultimate difference. The unanimous decision victory emphatically snapped his two-fight skid and improved his professional slate to 28-11.
Bahsous, Jaradchai, And Face Erawan Leave Their Mark
Sixteen-year-old Olivia “Diamond” Bahsous had the last laugh in her heated rivalry with fellow teenager Malia Weaver, stopping the promotional newcomer via second-round TKO in their highly anticipated atomweight Muay Thai clash.
Weaver started fast, aggressively pushing the pace behind sharp jab-hook combinations. However, Bahsous quickly imposed her superiority in the clinch, utilizing crushing elbows to bust the American’s nose open and immediately alter the complexion of the fight.
The Canadian prodigy fully turned on the jets in the second stanza. A stiff, perfectly placed teep dropped an exhausted Weaver to the canvas, forcing the referee to wave off the contest at 2:46 of round two. The dominant finish handed the 16-year-old her third straight stoppage victory on the global stage and elevated her stellar career record to 18-1.
Also on the card, Jaradchai Maxjandee stayed absolutely perfect in the weekly series, outclassing Ayoub Yassine to secure his fifth consecutive victory in flyweight Muay Thai and moving his professional slate to 78-25 overall.
Meanwhile, Face Erawan leaned on a punishing, relentless body attack to turn back Valerii Strungari in the strawweight Muay Thai opener. The clear-cut unanimous decision win pushed his impressive career record to 81-18.
