ONE Championship: Marat Grigorian Adamant That Third Fight With Chingiz Allazov Will Be Different

When #2-ranked Marat Grigorian meets ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Chingiz Allazov at ONE Fight Night 13 at Lumpinee Stadium, he not only has a chance to snatch his old foe's gold, but he also hopes to have the final say in their trilogy.

Since the fight's announcement, many fans have deemed the contest one of the biggest kickboxing bouts of the summer. On top of that, the history between the men set up a fascinating dynamic surrounding the battle on Saturday, 5 August, in Bangkok, Thailand.

The rivalry's origins date back to 2013, where the pair first met in an anticlimactic contest that saw Allazov suffer a nasty cut over his left eye. The referee ruled "Chinga" unfit to continue, abruptly ending the bout as a no-contest.

A rematch was set for eight months down the line in December 2013. And after three hard rounds, it was Grigorian who left the arena with the unanimous decision victory.

Since then, their paths haven't crossed. But now that they've ascended their weight bracket, the top of the mountain isn't big enough for the both of them. And all these years later, Grigorian believes it will be a much different encounter to their early days.

"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 [that] he's getting much better in these last two years. I started fighting against the top guys in 2014," Grigorian said.

"Yeah, we both changed a lot. We've both fought against the top guys. Now he's in his prime time. He's sharp, he's ready. I know it will be a very hard fight. And I will be ready."

While much of the lead-up to this combustible contest centers around their past, it's the present that Grigorian is most concerned about. Since debuting in ONE Championship in 2020, the gold has always been his focal point.

So for the #2-ranked contender, 5 August isn't about the trilogy. It isn't about Allazov, either. It's about achieving his dream in claiming the ultimate prize in the sport and sitting at the pinnacle of ONE's featherweight kickboxing realm.

"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," Grigorian said.

"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."