KUALA LUMPUR: Muay Thai prodigy Johan Ghazali Zulfikar has nothing to complain about the immense fame he has gained in Malaysia since joining the ONE Championship roster early last year (2023).
Johan, who just turned 18 last month, said fame does come with its "pros and cons" but remains grateful for everything he has achieved so far in his career.
His fights attract millions of views online and he currently has almost 500,000 Instagram and almost a million TikTok followers.
"I like it sometimes but then again sometimes (too much attention) it can get bad so it does have its pros and cons," said Johan recently.
"But when I started, I had already manifested all this, I knew my life was going to be like this.
"So it is not a surprise to me and I can't blame anyone but myself, I can't complain."
Johan, better known by his nickname Jojo, is currently undergoing a training camp in Bangkok ahead of his fight against Colombian Johan Estupinan on Jan 24.
The flyweight bout will take place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok.
"I try to come for camps in Bangkok for at least a month and half before fights. All I do here is eat, sleep and train Muay Thai," said Johan.
"When I am in Malaysia, I am also very disciplined, however, there will always be distractions.
"There will always be things I have to do (in Malaysia), sometimes it is sponsor obligations, sometimes people want to meet me.
"When I am here (Bangkok), sometimes people recognise me when I take the taxi or am at the mall but it is not like in Malaysia."
Johan defeated Mexican Josue Cruz via a first round knockout in his last fight during ONE 168 (Sep 7) in Denver, Colorado.