Diego Paez refuses to play role as “stepping stone” for rising star Johan Ghazali

Flyweight Muay Thai combatant Diego Paez will not be lured into any traps from Johan Ghazali at ONE Fight Night 32.

The fiery flyweight stars will collide on Friday, June 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. And Paez will look to gain the first win of his ONE Championship tenure.

Ghazali has utilized his taunting tools to lure in many foes. Those have been on show to secure knockouts against Edgar Tabares, Josue Cruz, and Padetsuk Fairtex.

But Paez has been here before. He believes his age, wisdom, and experience will prevent him from falling for any of “Jojo’s” bait. The 31-year-old showed his composure and maturity versus fellow American Sean Climaco at ONE Fight Night 28 this past February.

He lost a narrow split-decision to Climaco that night. But Paez impressed onlookers with his skills on the biggest night of his career. And given his history with Climaco outside of ONE, Paez’s composure was there for all to see.

So, at ONE Fight Night 32, he’s confident he can brush off any goading attempts from the young phenom as he looks to outstrike Ghazali. Not only that, but he hopes the huge victory will see him leapfrog up the division’s ladder.

“You know, I’ve had a couple of fights where people were trying to taunt me in the middle of the fight. And every single time it always goes my way, and I just don’t take it to heart,” he said.

“I’ve seen him lose, and I’ve seen why he loses. And I know what he’s good at. I know what he’s not good at. And I’m going to go out there and just use all of my weapons and use all of my skills and use my fight IQ.”

Diego Paez confident he can cause upset at ONE Fight Night 32

Flyweight Muay Thai star Diego Paez believes Johan Ghazali isn’t in for an easy night at ONE Fight Night 32.

The 18-year-old has quickly become a huge star for ONE Championship. His knockout power rocketed him through the ONE Friday Fights series and onto the promotion’s main stage. It’s seen the youngster gather a legion of fans in a short space of time.

Lately, though, Ghazali’s opposition has given him a tough time. In January, he lost to #5-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Johan Estupinan by decision at ONE 170. So he’ll be eager to get back to winning ways.

But Paez insists Ghazali is sorely mistaken if he believes the American puncher is going to lie down for him in June. The 31-year-old knows that all eyes will be on Ghazali’s return. So he looks to use the spotlight to silence “Jojo’s” supporters inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

“For sure. I’m very excited. I’m blessed. I know ONE really likes to promote them, and I know I can read between the lines,” he said.

“I see what people think and I see what’s going on, but I’m not a stepping stone. You guys aren’t going to, you know, you’re not going to use me as a marketing tool.”