ONE Fight Night 13: A Look At The History Between Chingiz Allazov And Marat Grigorian

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ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Chingiz Allazov and #2-ranked contender Marat Grigorian will collide in the main event of ONE Fight Night 13 next month, and the monumental clash will be the follow-up in a long-running rivalry that took place early in their respective careers.

The trilogy takes place on Saturday, 5 August, from the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, in what is being treated as one of the biggest bouts of the summer. But ahead of the World Title clash, the lead-up to this has been 10 years in the making.

The pair first met in April 2013 when Allazov was 17-1 and Grigorian was 18-3. Both fighters were relatively fresh to the professional ranks, and they squared off in a close outing that ended in underwhelming fashion after less than one round of action.

With less than 15 seconds left in the first frame, a tussle inside the pocket led to an accidental elbow from Grigorian, cutting open Allazov's left eye. Shortly after, the referee deemed "Chinga" unfit to continue due to the severity of the cut.

The matchup was ruled a no contest as a result. However, the pair quickly rearranged a rematch for later down the line. The date was eventually set for an end-of-year tilt in December 2013 in Levallois-Perret, France.

This time around, there would be no controversy and no illegal strikes as the featherweight talents went all three rounds. Grigorian found greater success, including a fierce left high kick that dropped Allazov in the second frame for an eight-count.

But as "Chinga" attempted to surge back into the contest, Grigorian continued to find success throughout the remainder of the bout. When it was all said and done, he cruised to a unanimous decision victory.

From there, the two went their separate ways and dominated the featherweight kickboxing division. And in doing so, the success they both encountered saw them winning multiple tournaments and separating themselves as two of the division's finest.

Ten years on, however, it's the Belarusian banger who finds himself in the grandest position with the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title firmly around his waist. And while he's sitting comfortably on the throne, the upcoming trilogy bout will certainly be his most personal contest in recent times.

Allazov has been on a career-best run inside ONE Championship since his arrival in 2021. Though, the one thing he hasn't yet been capable of is beating his nemesis in Grigorian. That said, the third time may well be the charm at ONE Fight Night 13 in August.