Vietnamese MMA ace defeats 17-year-old Malaysian prodigy

Facing Ghazali, Nhat, 36, maintained his distance and focused on long-range strikes, while Ghazali tried to enter the melee range. In the first round, Nhat had the upper hand and landed numerous counterattacks on his opponent’s head and shoulder areas.

In the second round, Nhat managed to land a punishing punch to Ghazali's shoulder, leaving the fighter staggering afterwards. In the third round, Nhat delivered a strong kick which tumbled Ghazali, but Ghazali retaliated with another attack which felled Nhat onto the floor. The fight continued, and Nhat emerged victorious with a higher score.

This was Ghazali's first loss in his professional career. Previously, the Malaysian-U.S. fighter had a five win streak, including a win against Edgar Tabares after just 36 seconds.

Nhat's victory was his third at the ONE Championship, Asia's biggest combat sports promotion. He previously won against Japan's Yuri Watanabe and Malaysia's Azwan Che Wil, and lost to Bosnia's Denis Puric.