The Inner Circle 24: Ramadan Ondash Sets Sights On Title Shot, Starting With Friend Johan Ghazali
Lebanese striking sensation Ramadan Ondash is about to fight his friend, and fans have been clamoring for this match for years now.
Ondash will take on fellow 19-year-old Johan "Jojo" Ghazali in the co-main event of The Inner Circle 24 on Friday, July 31, live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. It streams exclusively on live.onefc.com.
The two have known each other since 2019, crossing paths on the amateur Muay Thai circuit as teenagers competing in different weight classes.
They never shared the ring in those early years, but their paths have now converged in ONE Championship's flyweight Muay Thai division, and the friendship built over years of shared competition is about to be tested for the first time in a professional setting.
Ondash Keeps It Clear: This Is Business
Ondash has not allowed the personal history between the two fighters to cloud the professional reality of what July 31 demands. The Lebanese teenager has drawn a clean line between the competition and the friendship, and his message to Ghazali is as straightforward as it gets.
"This is business. I need to do my business in ONE Championship. But I don't want him to take it personally. When the fight finishes, whether I win or lose, we can be friends again. After the fight, we can go out, play golf, or do anything. I can invite him to eat," Ondash stated.
Ondash arrives on the back of a flyweight debut win over Thai warrior Suriyanlek Por Yenying, holding a 5-1 ONE record after graduating from ONE Friday Fights with his main roster contract.
Ondash Has a Game Plan Ready for Ghazali and Calls It Fun
The Lebanese teenager has already mapped out his opponent's likely strategy and arrived at the kind of confidence that comes from knowing your own game suits exactly what you expect to face.
"He is strong. I think his plan will be to fight the same way Aliff always does, moving forward and kicking. That is good for me. It will be fun for me. This fight is very important for me. In this fight, I will either win or die. No loss," he explained.
Ghazali's Malaysian-American background and training at Rentap Muaythai Gym and Superbon Training Camp have shaped one of the flyweight division's most recognizable young names. He carries an 8-4 ONE record and a 27-10 career mark into the flyweight Muay Thai fight, looking to return to winning ways after a recent loss.
Striking Phenom Says He Is Ready to Die for a Title Shot
Beyond the friendship angle and the immediate flyweight matchup, Ondash has revealed where his ambitions are pointing. The 19-year-old is not thinking one fight at a time, and his vision for where this flyweight journey leads is as bold as anything any teenager in the division has declared.
"I should go for a title shot. Whoever is in my way, no problem. I want to leave everything. I'm ready to die or get the belt. That is my dream," he said.
A victory over a fighter with Ghazali's background and divisional experience would be the strongest statement Ondash could make since arriving on the global stage. The bragging rights over a longtime friend are one thing. The title shot waiting further down the road is everything.
Watch The Inner Circle 24 exclusively on live.onefc.com beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT.
