Originating from Thailand during sometime in the 16th Century, Muay Thai finds its roots as a form of peace-time martial art practiced by soldiers under King Naresuan of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Gradually evolving into a competitive sport that would be hosted in temple complexes as part of festivals or celebrations, it has now gained prominence across the globe through various acclaimed championships and tournaments.
16yo Sarawakian teen bags victory at his Muay Thai championship debut!
As reported by local newswire agency BERNAMA, a 16-year-old Malaysian has made the headlines in the Muay Thai scene by bagging a RM44k prize after knocking out his rival in just 16 seconds! The incredible Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar commonly known as Jojo is a Sarawakian teenager who has very strong interest in Muay Thai.
Prior to debuting in the ONE Championship, Johan underwent a one-and-a-half months intensive training with his coach Addy Singpayak. He revealed that his training regime would take about 8 hours to complete, and he starts training from as early as 6.00am for 4 hours, followed by another 4 hours in the early evenings.
Source: Instagram
Johan described his first victory as surreal as he didn’t expect for him to bag a knockout victory as he made his debut in the ONE championships.
“It’s my dream to debut in the ONE championships, but a knockout victory was truly unexpected”, he recalled.
Johan took his victory to his socials, sharing the replay of his debut match with his opponent Padetsuk Fairtex of Thailand, who is 18.
In the short clip, it showed that Johan took only 16 seconds to knock Padetsuk to the ground, gaining his first ever knockout victory along with a $350,000 Baht (RM44k) prize. Following his triumph and successful debut in the championship, he expressed his outmost gratitude to his coach for keeping him on a consistent training regimen.
Source: Instagram
“I’m grateful for my coach as he made sure I trained consistently and winning the match was a great way to cement the fact that my hard work paid off”, he said.
Prior to his ONE Championship debut, Johan won the 2022 IFMA World Youth Muay Thai Championship title in the 14-15 under 60kg category.
Congratulations on your debut and victory Johan, may you continue to prosper in the Muay Thai scene for years to come!
Watch his knockout victory below:
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