Some fighters find their closest bonds through years of shared sacrifice. For Johan “Jojo” Ghazali and Olivia “Diamond” Bahsous, that commitment started when they were still kids.

Bahsous, 16, faces Malia Weaver in an atomweight Muay Thai clash at The Inner Circle 35 on Friday, October 16, streaming exclusively for subscribers from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, with Ghazali watching closely as she makes her third appearance on the global stage.

The Ghazali and Bahsous households first crossed paths roughly five years ago while training together for the IFMA Youth World Championship. Back-to-back highlight-reel finishes over Phontip Khlongtoeiyouthcenter and Nonglek Krudamgym have since put Bahsous on track toward the same US$100,000 main roster contract Ghazali earned during his own breakthrough run.

“The Canadian team decided to come to Rentap and they trained with us for two weeks. But then, Olivia and her entire family came back to train with us again,” Ghazali said. “Olivia was so small. I was, too. We go way back before ONE Championship, before fame and all that. They’re like my day ones.”

Something about Bahsous stood out to him even then. She has since become a three-time IFMA Junior World Champion and, at just 13 years old, the youngest female athlete ever to compete at Lumpinee Stadium.

“She’s extremely dedicated. Even when we were much younger, I’d say I saw it in her. Even though she cried some times, she still showed up when other 11-year-old girls didn’t really want it,” he said. “You can see that she’s dedicated and she actually wants to be a good fighter.”

Whenever the Bahsous family made the trip to Kuching, Sarawak, training sessions often ended with family dinners that turned training partners into something closer to family.

Off camera, Ghazali has also helped Bahsous navigate one of the more underrated parts of building a career in the spotlight.

“It was really hard for her to speak in front of cameras before, and it took so much practice. But I told her it’s going to be a big part of her career nowadays,” he said. “I’ve been sending her podcasts and interviews that she can learn from.”

Watching her seize her own opportunity in ONE Championship resonates with the 19-year-old, who sees the same fire in Bahsous that carried him through his own perfect 4-0 stretch to start his ONE Friday Fights journey.

“I feel like she’s going to make it to the top for sure. Her support system, particularly her dad, has been top. I see her going very far like me.”

READ MORE: Superbon Sizes Up The Four Men Chasing His Throne

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