Chingiz Allazov Motivated For Grudge Match With Marat Grigorian At ONE Fight Night 13

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After reaching the pinnacle of ONE Championship's featherweight kickboxing division, Chingiz Allazov has done all he can to avoid getting caught up in the moment. With hungry contenders lurking at every corner, foes both old and new, "Chinga" knows he must remain ready.

At ONE Fight Night 13, Allazov makes the first defense of his ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title in the main event. In doing so, he'll also complete his trilogy against #2-ranked Marat Grigorian inside Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Saturday, 5 August.

Whether "Chinga" likes it or not, there's a certain aspect to life that changes when you become the top dog in combat sports. It's not so easy to walk around the streets with anonymity.

What has kept him centered, however, are his surroundings. There has been no room for extra celebrations. After all, it's much harder to stay champion than it is to become champion. And Allazov wants to remain on top for as long as possible.

"It's good, but it hasn't changed my mentality. I knew in my mind I was number one before Superbon. But I was like okay, we will do this in the world. Let people see that I am number one," Allazov said.

"The next morning (after I beat Superbon), we had training with my coach. In the first round (of my fight with Superbon) I had one mistake. But we saw it and we went to train the next day.

"Now I'm one of the popular fighters in the world. I stay in Krabi, [Thailand], and many Thai people came to pay respect to Chingiz. After the fight, I said that I had respect for Superbon and for the Thai people. I like Thailand. Now I have many followers."

A decade of competition has elapsed for both Allazov and Grigorian, so it's rather poetic that the two warriors collide for the third time with the ONE Kickboxing Featherweight World Title at stake.

On top of the trilogy, the bout packs an extra punch for "Chinga." Their first encounter in 2013 was short-lived, ending in a no-contest. The rematch happened several months later with Grigorian having the last laugh with a unanimous decision win.

Ten years on, Allazov hasn't had the opportunity to avenge that night in France. But with his life's work hanging in the balance, the Belarusian is set on taking out Grigorian.

"After that, me and Marat moved up in the sport. We won tournaments. We won all the events. We won all the fights. I became number one in ONE Championship, the top fighter in my category," Allazov said.

"He likes to box, but I like to box more now. He likes kicks. I like kicking more now. He has speed and power. But I fight with my intelligence. I'm going to fight. I only go to fight. I go to work. I will go to victory.

"In my fights, I never plan for a knockout. I fight, and if I see a mistake, I punch. I score a knockout. Maybe Marat will make a mistake and I can knock him out. But my game plan is not the knockout. My game is to fight clever. My mind is ready, and my body is ready."