Marat Grigorian, the second-ranked challenger in the featherweight division of ONE’s kickboxing division, is well familiar with Chingiz Allazov, the opponent for ONE Fight Night 13.
After all, they had previously competed against one another twice, with Grigorian claiming victory in both bouts to become the reigning world champion in the featherweight division of kickboxing for ONE.
This coming Friday, on the sacred grounds of Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, the Armenian hopes to reassert his dominance over ‘Chinga’ and steal the 26 pounds of pure gold that the Thai player now has.
Grigorian enters this battle with the cerebral advantage, but he is aware that Allazov has made tremendous strides in the 10 years since the last time they fought each other with their fists.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post conducted prior to the event, the man who held the title of GLORY Lightweight Champion three times recalled:
“When we first started, we were young fighters, promising fighters with a bright future ahead of them, but it’s been a long time now. Together, we made a lot of progress.
He continued by saying:
“Of course, he and I together. In my opinion, the battle was quite exciting to watch. The way it goes, over the years that we’ve developed, and we’ve become more better fighters today, and I couldn’t be more eager for this one.”
Observe the entire interview here:
Grigorian and Allazov fought each other in Europe in 2013, when both of them were still relatively new to the kickboxing scene and only beginning to make a name for themselves.
The first bout was stopped because Grigorian accidentally elbowed his opponent in the face, which resulted in a draw. In the rematch, which took place eight months later, he gave Chingiz Allazov a superb performance across all three rounds and completely dominated the fight.
Now, fate has once again entwined their paths, and the conclusion of the trilogy will be fought out on the largest platform under the ONE banner.
Since that fateful encounter, it is clear that Allazov has made tremendous strides in his development.
The standout from Grindin Gym has competed in the Singapore-based promotion five times, earning four victories and three finishes. His most recent victory, a knockout victory over Superbon Singha Mawynn in January of 2018, secured him the world title.
Grigorian, on the other hand, is aware that he has progressed as well and can’t wait to show off some of the new moves he’s been working on at ONE Fight Night 13.
The 10-bout extravaganza will be broadcast live during primetime in the United States at no additional cost to Prime Video customers in North America.
