Diego Paez believes Johan Ghazali “looked right past me” – and says ONE Championship’s rising Malaysian star let his ego get the better of him.
The Colombian-American shocked the highly touted 18-year-old with a split-decision win at ONE Fight Night 32 on Saturday night in Bangkok, silencing the hype at Lumpinee Stadium with a composed three-round performance in their flyweight Muay Thai bout.
“I know he fights with a lot of ego – I saw right through that. I can read people like an empath,” Paez told the Bangkok Post after the fight.
“He looked right past me and was already focused on what was to come after. That’s why I told you before the fight – I’m focused on the present moment.”
Ghazali, who has now lost three out of five fights since earning a ONE contract in 2023, had been calling for a rematch with Johan Estupinan and a showdown with Denis Puric before even stepping into the ring. But it was Paez’s hand that was raised after three close rounds.
“It was all part of the plan,” the 31-year-old said. “I believe in myself. I was fully confident I was gonna go out there to win.
“I’m so happy to do it against such a respectable name. I know that the organisation loves him. He’s a star boy. They invested a lot in promoting him for this fight. But I hope I earned some respect.”
Paez admitted he felt uncertain while the judges’ scores were being read by ring announcer Dom Lau – especially given how much attention had been on Ghazali in the lead-up.
“I felt like I was picking and choosing and hitting the cleaner shots. But I thought I won my last fight and it didn’t go my way. Especially being Johan, with how much he’s been promoted, I didn’t know how it was gonna go,” Paez said.
“It’s nice to have honest judges. It feels like a dream come true.”
Despite his criticisms, Paez showed respect for his opponent after the result.
“I didn’t have much to say – I was enjoying my moment – but he’s a respectable opponent and he’s got a big future ahead,” he said. “I knew in this fight, I’m sorry, I don’t have room to lose. He has room to lose. So I had to go out there and win.
“But all the best to him – he’s got a good team behind him and a bright future.”
The Colombian-American shocked the highly touted 18-year-old with a split-decision win at ONE Fight Night 32 on Saturday night in Bangkok, silencing the hype at Lumpinee Stadium with a composed three-round performance in their flyweight Muay Thai bout.
“I know he fights with a lot of ego – I saw right through that. I can read people like an empath,” Paez told the Bangkok Post after the fight.
“He looked right past me and was already focused on what was to come after. That’s why I told you before the fight – I’m focused on the present moment.”
Ghazali, who has now lost three out of five fights since earning a ONE contract in 2023, had been calling for a rematch with Johan Estupinan and a showdown with Denis Puric before even stepping into the ring. But it was Paez’s hand that was raised after three close rounds.
“It was all part of the plan,” the 31-year-old said. “I believe in myself. I was fully confident I was gonna go out there to win.
“I’m so happy to do it against such a respectable name. I know that the organisation loves him. He’s a star boy. They invested a lot in promoting him for this fight. But I hope I earned some respect.”
Paez admitted he felt uncertain while the judges’ scores were being read by ring announcer Dom Lau – especially given how much attention had been on Ghazali in the lead-up.
“I felt like I was picking and choosing and hitting the cleaner shots. But I thought I won my last fight and it didn’t go my way. Especially being Johan, with how much he’s been promoted, I didn’t know how it was gonna go,” Paez said.
“It’s nice to have honest judges. It feels like a dream come true.”
Despite his criticisms, Paez showed respect for his opponent after the result.
“I didn’t have much to say – I was enjoying my moment – but he’s a respectable opponent and he’s got a big future ahead,” he said. “I knew in this fight, I’m sorry, I don’t have room to lose. He has room to lose. So I had to go out there and win.
“But all the best to him – he’s got a good team behind him and a bright future.”
