ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov Says ‘Wasn’t 100 Percent’ Against Grigorian, Assesses Tawanchai’s Kickboxing Debut

Add as a preferred source on Google

ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Chingiz Allazov completed the first defense of his World Title reign this past Saturday, 5 August. In doing so, he finally gained an all-important victory over his old nemesis and #2-ranked contender Marat Grigorian.

"Chinga" took home the unanimous decision at ONE Fight Night 13's main event in Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Boxing Stadium against the Armenian standout. Allazov managed to overcome Grigorian's tactical approach to the bout. However, it wasn't all one-way traffic.

When Allazov and Grigorian's date was first announced, many fans called it the fight of the summer. Others expected a knockout within the distance. But when reflecting on the performance, Allazov feels his offering wasn't anywhere near his best.

"I didn't have real power in this fight. I worked at maybe 35 percent. I wasn't 100 percent, not even 50 percent. Last week, I had a big problem, mentally. It wasn't a good situation. For me, the important thing is winning the fight. We won, my team. We had one of the best game plans," Allazov said.

Despite feeling that way, Allazov fired on all cylinders. It was clear to see his arsenal on show. But the Belarusian champion felt his head wasn't fully in the fight. And that's due to issues outside of the ring.

Allazov has showcased his unforgiving approach to competition on course to taking the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title. And the bearded bruiser saw Grigorian make mistakes inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium's famed ring.

That said, "Chinga's" mindset wasn't fully locked in on Saturday's main event performance. But fortunately, he's now finding solace in the great game plan that helped steer him toward victory.

"After the Superbon fight, I said my coach is one of the best coaches. He's the best coach in the world. For real. He's made many champions. In ONE Championship, now I'm one of the best strikers, pound-for-pound. We had a good game plan, but it wasn't a game plan to KO Marat Grigorian. We planned to beat him in five rounds," he said.

Allazov's run as a featherweight kickboxing contender saw him rip through whoever was placed in front of him. But being a World Champion means you cannot afford to become complacent.

Despite overcoming Grigorian to complete the trilogy a decade in the making, Allazov must now look to his future challengers. One of whom might just be ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai.

The 24-year-old opened his promotional kickboxing account earlier in the night at ONE Fight Night 13. Tawanchai tore through grizzled veteran Davit Kiria, ultimately breaking the Georgian's arm with a vicious left kick in the third frame to pick up the win.

Tawanchai is one of the most prominent strikers in the Muay Thai realm, but Allazov isn't convinced of his skill set in kickboxing. Despite that, the potential matchup would surely have fans on the edge of their seats. However, Allazov will decide his next move in due course.

"I don't want to talk about Tawanchai. I'll say one thing: he's one of the best strikers in the world. He's a good guy, a funny guy. He's the best Muay Thai fighter. In kickboxing, he's not the best," Allazov assessed.

"But he's a real talented fighter. I have only respect for him. I don't know if [we'll] fight or we [won't] fight. I don't like talking about who is my next opponent."