Marat Grigorian has earned gold in GLORY & K-1 Kickboxing, but he knows his upcoming match in ONE Championship against Chingiz Allazov is the biggest match of his storied career.
The Armenian-Belgian striker Grigorian will look to capture the ONE featherweight world title from the reigning Chingiz Allazov. This highly anticipated kickboxing showdown is booked for Aug. 4 in the main event of ONE Fight Night 13 broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.
Chingiz Allazov vs Marat Grigorian
Aug. 4 will not be the first time these two ace strikers have met. About a decade ago, Allazov and Grigorian met in two matches. The first fight was hosted in Italy which ended as a No Contest due to an accidental illegal elbow opening a cut in the first round.
Their second meeting was about eight months later hosted in France. This time, over three full rounds, the Armenian-born athlete Grigorian was able to get a unanimous decision nod. Nearly a decade has passed since their first matchup and it’s an entirely different game heading into Aug. 4.
In an interview with Combat Press, Grigorian explained:
“Yeah, we know each other already. We fought against each other. In that moment, we were the best upcoming fighters. From those years we changed a lot. Now I’m seeing he’s getting much better in these last two years. I started fighting against the top guys in 2014. Yeah, we both changed a lot. We’ve both fought we fought against the top, top, top guys. Now he’s in his prime time. He’s sharp, he’s ready. I know it will be very hard fight. And I will be ready.“
Chingiz Allazov
The Belarusian-Azerbaijani athlete Chingiz Allazov is at a career-high point. Since 2021, he has defeated the former ONE kickboxing champion Superbon Singha Mawynn, former GLORY & Lumpinee world champion Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, plus he stopped “Smokin'” Jo Nattawut and Samy Sana, both via knockout.
The 30-year-old ‘Chinga’ Allazov is a dangerous matchup for any striker in the world. The athlete has a furious style of fighting where he throws full-power combinations and tops them off with head kicks. He captured the ONE kickboxing throne, and top pound-for-pound nod, with a knockout win against Superbon.
Grigorian is well aware of how dangerous ‘Chinga’ is. Speaking in an interview, he said:
“I think he’s really explosive and fast. That’s what makes him very dangerous. He says [you’re] tough, strong, and aggressive, but not technical, and he’ll be the smarter fighter. Yeah, he is a good, smart fighter. What can I say? He’s doing very well. But every fighter has his own weak points. So. I will try to punish him in those moments of weakness.“
Marat Grigorian
At the of 32, Grigorian has already had an incredible career in kickboxing. This striker had won and defended the GLORY lightweight championship, plus was a K-1 Division & Grand Prix world titleholder.
Throughout his storied career, he has defeated fighters such as former GLORY world champion Sitthichai, current GLORY world champion Tyjani Beztati, Andy Souwer, Rajadamnern Stadium world champion Jomthong Chuwattana, and Tayfun Ozcan, among many others.
But heading into his Aug. 4 showdown against Allazov, he knows this is the most important fight of his career. Speaking with Combat Press, Grigorian said:
“Of course, I’m going for the for the gold. I’m going for the win, and at this point, this opportunity means a lot. I think this is the most important fight of my career so far so I will try to do everything for the win.
Defeating the top-ranked pound-for-pound kickboxer and capturing the ONE featherweight kickboxing world title, is a dream come true for the Armenian striker. He added:
“I’m living for the moment. All the moments that I have experienced and titles I have won have been the best at that time. That was the best feeling and the best achievement that I’d had. So ,I’m living for the moment and I’m going for that. This means everything for me. I’m trying to make my dream come true.“