It will be a clash of initiative and style as two highly skilled Kickboxers are set to battle in the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Chingiz Allazov will look to defend his ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title, and avenge a prior loss, when he meets Marat Grigorian in the main event of ONE Fight Night 13 broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, upcoming on August 4.
These two athletes have trotted the globe collecting gold in Kickboxing. Armenia’s Grigorian has earned world titles in every major promotion he fought in such as K-1, Kunlun Fight and GLORY Kickboxing. Meanwhile, Allazov has captured gold in WAKO, K-1 World Grand Prix, K-1 Super Welterweight World Title, plus a Grand Prix and division world title in ONE Championship.
CHINGIZ ALLAZOV VS. MARAT GRIGORIAN
Chingiz Allazov is a dangerous and aggressive striker with an atypical style. The reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion loves to mix his head punching combinations with quick head kicks, stance changes, and fast footwork with rapid direction mix-ups . When Chingiz smells blood he's been able to capitalize on his unique style and finish opponents by overwhelming them. With this, he has become one of the most exciting fighters in combat sports today.
Marat Grigorian is a bread-and-butter system-based fighter with solid offensive fundamentals. The Armenian-Belgian athlete has spent time training at Hemmers Gym tempering his striking system into a strong form of Dutch-Style Kickboxing. Grigorian looks to control the center of the ring and push his opponent against the ropes or cage while holding a high and tight guard.
With this pressure, Grigorian forces exchanges and returns fire with multiplicity. His opponent may throw one punch, he'll return with three. His opponent throws a kick, and he answers with one of his own, getting in the last word. In kickboxing, building combinations is the standard; by striking against his opponent's strikes at the same time he interrupts their ability to build combinations. Marat's offense has a consistency to it that can wear down his opponents.
In 2021, German kickboxer Enriko Kehl found success against Allazov by controlling the center, pushing Allazov back, and interrupting his combinations. Marat Grigorian will look to employ a similar game plan, one he's employed against Allazov long ago and throughout his recent career as GLORY Lightweight champion. However, while Grigorian has honed his literal ringcraft and combinations, the sheer volume, relentless pressure, and focused chaos of Allazov has steadily been improving.
Even highly skilled fighters, such as Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong and Superbon Singha Mawynn, who previously dismantled Grigorian, struggled to control the distance and manage the pressure from 'Chinga'. Even with the right game plan, it may be a rough night for Grigorian given Allazov's momentum coming into the fight. Marat's tendency to hold a high guard may be a liability given Allazov's fondness for uppercuts and long kicks.
The two faced off twice about a decade ago, with one fight prematurely ending early due to injury, and the other going in the way of Grigorian. Since then, both fighters have grown and developed different fighting styles. Both athletes admit that this match will be entirely different than their first two. In an interview with ONE Championship, Grigorian said:
"Yeah, we know each other already. 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 he's getting much better in these last two years. I started fighting against the top guys in 2014. Yeah, we both changed a lot. We’ve both fought we fought against the top, top, top guys. Now he's in his prime time. He's sharp, he's ready. I know it will be very hard fight. And I will be ready."
Allazov on the other hand is eager to finally avenge his loss:
"I like this fight. I’ve been waiting for this day. ONE offered me three opponents for my first defense, and I picked Grigorian. We fought 10 years ago. The first time was a no contest. The second fight, I lost. 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, and my weight class is the best in the world."
It will be a battle of initiative. Which fighter can apply their game plan before the other can get started? This ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title showdown is a battle of freestyle against system, new against classic, and chaotic pressure against steady patience.
