‘I’m Going To Risk Everything’ – Marat Grigorian Desperate To Finally Win ONE World Title In Rematch With Superbon
Marat Grigorian is willing to do whatever it takes to claim ONE Championship gold.
The Armenian striker will rematch fellow pound-for-pound great Superbon Singha Mawynn for the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 58 on April 5, and his mind is solely focused on claiming the belt.
Grigorian has already achieved more than most could ever dream of throughout his competitive career, but he won’t be satisfied until he sits on the throne in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
The 32-year-old spoke to onefc.com ahead of his Asia primetime battle with Superbon at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand:
“Life is a risk. This year, I’m going to risk everything. I really need and want to win. That’s all there is. The only thing on my mind is to beat him. Finish or not, it doesn’t matter how it will end. I just want to win.
“My goal is to be the World Champion of ONE Championship. That’s the only goal in my mind. So it means everything to me. I will do my best to get there.”
This will be the third meeting between these elite competitors – and their second for ONE gold.
Grigorian knocked out his Thai rival in the first round back in 2018, but Superbon got his revenge with a dominant decision to earn the undisputed ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title in 2022.
Given their last matchup went all 15 minutes, the Hemmers Gym product feels more prepared for Superbon this time around – though he knows he must be at the top of his game:
“The first fight was really short because it took only 29 seconds. The second fight was five rounds of fighting. I saw everything that he throws. I was just very, very slow that night, and he improved a lot. But I have also improved a lot. So every fight is different. We need to stay sharp because one mistake, and it can end very fast.
“I think he will do the same game plan as the last time, just teeping me away and throwing some knees. I think that’s the only thing that he can do against me. I will work on distance, take my points, and that’s it.”
Grigorian Explains Moving His Training Camp To Thailand
Fans have learned to expect power and aggression from Marat Grigorian whenever he steps inside the ring.
However, he was clearly out of sorts when he challenged Superbon for the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title in Singapore in 2022. Grigorian took that loss on the chin, but more importantly, he learned key lessons.
Despite solid preparation back home in the Netherlands, the veteran struggled to reach his usual explosive heights on fight day. As a result, he moved his latest training camp to Pattaya, Thailand, to prevent the same issues from happening again.
Grigorian explained the move ahead of his return to action in nearby Bangkok:
“The last fight with Superbon, I was really well prepared. But on the day itself, I didn’t recover. My body was not working. It’s not an excuse that I lost against him. I don’t like excuses. But one of the reasons was I didn’t recover well. You can see it in my fight. I was really slow. I was throwing everything like slow motion.
“So that’s why now we are here [in Thailand] for longer. To get healthy and recover. It’s helping me to get used to the time. I’m sleeping well and things like that. So I think it will be a different night.”
Knowing the scale of the opportunity in front of him, Grigorian has also geared the fight camp toward success, bringing his full team from Hemmers Gym out to Fairtex Training Center.
He is leaving no stone unturned as he goes for interim gold on April 5 and feels better than ever for his rubber match with Superbon.
He added:
“Everything is going good. I’m here with my team, six or seven people, including my coach, Nick Hemmers, and some of my sparring partners.
“We are just focused on me for now. There are no other people with us who are going to fight, so the focus stays on me. Every day, we are training or working on some different game plan. It’s heavy, and we’re sparring a lot of times.”
