Kang Ji Won Believes His Pressure Will “Trouble” Kirill Grishenko At ONE Fight Night 23

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Heavyweight MMA star Kang Ji Won has heard that Kirill Grishenko is returning to the division as a "new and improved" fighter, but the South Korean believes he will squash all that talk when he puts his signature pressure on Grishenko next month.

The duo collide at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on Saturday, 6 July, inside Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Kang isn't one to talk trash. In fact, he knows the Belarusian's strengths will make for a stern assignment this weekend.

That said, "Mighty Warrior's" tried and tested formula has seen him knock four of his six opponents in ONE Championship out cold. And he's confident his approach will have Grishenko on the back foot.

"Well, he is a great wrestler, is a tall fighter, and has great cardio. In all objectivity, he's a fighter that has no immediate weaknesses. He is a powerful fighter," Kang said.

"We'll only know when we're in the ring together, but I believe I will focus on my forward pressure and keep my footwork on point throughout the fight and give him trouble."

Across his promotional tenure, Kang has built a reputation as a deadly striker. But in previous outings, he came unstuck in the grappling realms, highlighted by tumultuous losses against Ben Tynan and Marcus Almeida.

He did, however, show improvements at ONE Fight Night 18 in January. The South Korean smashed through Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif, earning the TKO after pouring on brutal ground-and-pound from full mount.

Heading into ONE Fight Night 23, he'll certainly be aware of Kirill's wrestling acumen. In MMA, a contest can end up anywhere. So the 28-year-old continues to improve any and all weaknesses in order to climb the heavyweight ladder.

"We're trying our best to be holistic with our approach. Defending the takedown is important, but we're really looking to invest heavily in using the weapons I have to take the fight to Kirill," Kang said.

"I've consistently faced wrestlers and grapplers, so working on grappling defense has been second-nature to my camps."