By Yee Mei
KUCHING, Oct 1: Muhammad Johan Ghazali Zulfikar, better known as ‘Jojo’, has made a name for himself in the Muay Thai scene, which is of no surprise as he was born with Muay Thai in his blood.
According to an interview with ONE FC, the parents of 17-year-old Jojo, who turns 18 this November, were former practitioners of the martial arts.
His parents met in Oregon while his father was studying there, and the two bonded over their shared passion for Muay Thai.
A child of mixed heritage, Jojo was born to a half-Indonesian and half-Japanese-Malaysian father, while his mother is an American from the state of New Mexico. He was born in Kuala Lumpur before settling in Sarawak.
A prodigy in the Muay Thai world
Already involved in Muay Thai at the tender age of ten, Jojo has participated in various tournaments in and out of the country. His first major win was when he was 15-years-old and became champion of the IFMA World Junior Muay Thai Championship in 2022.
Following that, his name gained household recognition after his match at ONE Championship in Bangkok on Feb 24, 2023, where he defeated Padetsuk Fairtex in 16 seconds via knockout (KO)—gaining traction with Muay Thai fans worldwide.
Later, on Oct 6 of the same year, Jojo added another win under his belt when he defeated Russia’s Temiran Bekmurzaev in ONE Friday Fight 36 in Bangkok, earning him a USD100,000 contract with ONE Championship.
However, the path to glory continues for Jojo as in December 2023, Jojo created history when he debuted on Primetime US ONE Championship in the United States in a match against World Boxing Council (WBC) Muay Thai International champion Edgar Tabares.
Despite the gap in experience, Jojo shocked the world when he won the match in just 36 seconds, further cementing his legacy.
Last month, Jojo earned a USD50,000 bonus after his victory over Josue Cruz in ONE Championship Series 168.
Cruz, 28, from Mexico, was knocked out in the first round of the flyweight fight in Ball Arena in Denver in the United States of America.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
Jojo’s 15-year-old brother, Muhammad Mikail Ghazali Zulfikar (Miki), followed his family’s legacy by winning gold in the men’s 51-54kg category during the Muay Thai finals at the 21st Malaysian Games (Sukma 2024) in August.
With his win, Miki helped Sarawak reach its goal of securing two gold medals in the sport, echoing the successes of the 2022 Sukma edition in Kuala Lumpur, where Jojo and their eldest brother, Elias Ghazali Zulfikar, had both struck gold in their respective categories. — DayakDaily
