‘Will Beat You Again and Make a Movie About It’: Rustam Yunusov Calls Out Johan Ghazali
A childhood rivalry has been reignited inside ONE Championship.
Undefeated Russian flyweight Rustam "Tomahawk" Yunusov took a shot at Malaysian-American sensation Johan "Jojo" Ghazali following his main event victory over Suriyanlek Por Yenying at The Inner Circle 34 in October, and Ghazali did not hold back in his response.
Yunusov carries an immaculate 9-0 ONE Championship record and is on the cusp of earning his US$100,000 main roster contract.
Meanwhile, Ghazali has just returned to winning ways with a unanimous decision victory over Diego Paez, avenging an earlier split-decision loss to the Colombian-American fighter.
Yunusov Says He Does Not Fight Actors and Tells Ghazali to Film Movies
Yunusov's callout was not delivered with any particular warmth. The unbeaten Russian found a specific angle of attack and committed to it fully, choosing to take aim at Ghazali's public profile rather than his fighting record.
"What I can say about Johan – I cannot say anything because I don't want to fight with actors. I fight with fighters. Johan has to film Malaysian films," Yunusov stated.
The dig at Ghazali's public persona reflects the kind of prefight psychology that a 19-year-old with an 18-0 career record and nine consecutive ONE Championship wins can afford to deploy with confidence.
Yunusov's unbeaten record and proximity to a life-changing contract give him a standing in the flyweight division that makes the callout a genuine fight offer rather than idle talk.
Ghazali Takes Yunusov's Actor Jab as a Compliment
Ghazali's response to being called an actor was not what Yunusov likely had in mind. The Malaysian-American sensation absorbed the jab, flipped it entirely, and returned fire with the kind of self-assured confidence that has made him one of the more entertaining personalities in the flyweight Muay Thai division.
"Thank you so much . It's not easy to look like me. It's not easy to be as rich as me. It's not easy to be as influential as me. So, I take it as a compliment," Ghazali offered.
Coming off his revenge win over Paez, Ghazali's nine ONE Championship wins, six via finish, and the US$100,000 main roster contract he earned through ONE Friday Fights give him a promotional record that backs up every word of that response.
The 28-11 career mark tells the story of a teenage fighter who has competed extensively and come out on the other side with both the experience and the personality to handle anything a rival throws at him.
Ghazali Accepts the Fight and Promises to Beat Yunusov Again
Having turned the insult into a compliment, Ghazali wrapped up his response with the kind of statement that makes a fourth fight between the two feel genuinely inevitable.
"Rustam, you've been calling for this fight for a while. If the fans want to see it, I have no problem. Let's do it, and I'll beat you again like the last time I did. And then, I'll make a movie about it," he said.
Before either arrived in ONE Championship, they crossed paths three times at the IFMA World Youth Muay Thai Championships. Yunusov won the first two encounters before Ghazali claimed the third, leaving the series split and the rivalry very much alive.
