Ramadan The Scorpion Ondash can call it a friendship all he wants. But Johan Jojo Ghazali is not buying that talk ahead of their co-main event showdown at The Inner Circle 24.The 19-year-old strikers will lock horns in a heated flyweight Muay Thai battle at Bangkoks iconic Lumpinee Stadium this Friday, July 31.This Asia primetime spectacle, headlined by a massive World Title fight, will be exclusively available to subscribers at live.onefc.com, and there seems to be some genuine animosity between the two teenage stars.View this post on InstagramThe root of this matchup traces back to this past May, just moments after Ondash defeated Suriyanlek Por Yenying via unanimous decision in his flyweight Muay Thai debut. Following that victory, the Lebanese phenom grabbed the microphone and made his intentions clear.Ondash wanted Ghazali next, and he framed the request in warm terms brotherhood, friendship, mutual respect, the works. The Malaysian-American knockout artist accepted the fight without hesitation. The romantic framing around it, however, is something that has left him puzzled.Jojo said:After he called me out, I was like, Okay, I thought, you want to be all brave and call me out, which is fine. But dont say were friends or any of that bullsh*t. Like, yeah, I know him. I would say we are friends at arms length. Thats what it is.Were not close friends. We used to fight in the same tournaments all the time. But we never really hung out. We did talk whenever we met, but I never thought of him as a super close friend.View this post on InstagramThe supposed friendship aside, there is a bigger issue eating at the Rentap Muaythai Gym and Superbon Training Camp representative heading into fight week.Ondash views this matchup as an opportunity to borrow his star power and build a case for a shot at reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Asadula The Dagestan Ninja Imangazaliev.It is a read that leaves little room for sentiment, and Ghazali is not shy about saying so.The Malaysian-American told onefc.com:He knows this fight will be the biggest one yet for him. He has to get past me. Im ready for a fighter of his style and his caliber. I love this type of brawl-style fight. This is always my bread and butter.I see Ramadan as a version of myself from two to three years ago in terms of an experience standpoint. I have the experience now, and Im a little more mature than him heading into this fight.View this post on InstagramGhazali arrives at The Inner Circle 24 looking to bounce back from a hard-fought defeat to Shimon Yoshinari at ONE SAMURAI 1 this past April, a contest in which he acquitted himself well despite coming up short.That motivation to return to the win column, paired with Ondashs insistence on framing this as a match between friends, has Jojo fully locked in to deliver one of the best performances of his young and ever-evolving career.Making a statement does not mean abandoning strategy, however.Ghazali continued:Im gonna approach this fight a little more calm and steady. Ill take my time picking my shots because hes known to fade when he doesnt land those left hooks. But if he starts fast, I can match it, but I would rather control the fight.Another big thing is that this will be his second flyweight fight. He fought Suriyanlek, who I dont think is a real flyweight. Its going to be different when hes in there with me, especially once he feels that power in his face.View this post on InstagramJojo Isnt Buying The Tough Guy ActConfidence radiates from Johan Ghazali heading into this showdown, and it extends well beyond questioning the friendship narrative.The Malaysian-American has clearly studied how Ramadan Ondash handles adversity, pointing specifically to his lone promotional blemish against newly crowned ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Aliff Sor Dechapan this past December.He offered:Ramadan fights very emotionally, and you can see in some fights that his confidence fades after he doesnt get what he wants. We all saw that against Aliff. Those clips tell a lot about his character and the person he is.For me, if I lose, I take it on the chin. I dont go around giving f**king excuses, saying people are running. But he clearly lost. Hes not experienced enough or mature enough to be able to accept it.View this post on InstagramComing from a fellow 19-year-old, the assessment carries a certain weight. Ghazali talks and battles with a poise that belies his age, and he believes that same composure will be the deciding factor against The Scorpion.Asked how confident he would feel getting his hand raised, Jojo did not flinch. The Malaysian-American sounds extremely certain about how he will claim victory in this high-stakes clash at The Inner Circle 24.Ghazali pointed out:I think a calculated [version of] me will win the fight. And I think if it goes three rounds, Ill definitely win it. I wouldnt say stay calm, but Ill still push the pace, but very maturely, very smartly.Im gonna do it in my favor in the ways that Ive learned through experience from fighting good fighters. Ill use all of my advantages to keep him guessing, and I dont want to be reliant on just one thing.View this post on InstagramSource