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Superbon closed out ONE Friday Fights 58 with a hard-fought win over Marat Grigorian that saw him become the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world championship. The fighters involved in the final bout of the evening had previously faced off and the fans knew what to expect as two former foes met once again.
At ONE X, the Thai striker faced off with Marat Grigorian for the first time under the ONE Championship banner in what was the second meeting between the two elite competitors. That night in 2022 belonged to the champion at the time as he put on a kickboxing clinic to deny Grigorian the chance to win the gold.
This time around, the fight was much more competitive and seemingly came right down to the final round which was another hard-fought round. Superbon got his hand raised via decision but it wasn't without a stern test from Grigorian on his way to victory.
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The former champion praised his opponent in a post-fight interview with Nick Atkin for Sportskeeda MMA:
"In Singapore, it was a little bit easier. But this time was harder. He fixed something and he stayed close to me. He [knew] about my push kicks, and this time he came closer. But I still have my weapons in the close range. I have knees, I have a short kick, and I still can punch back sometimes."
Watch the full interview below:
Superbon's weapons in the pocket shone at ONE Friday Fights 58
As he mentioned in the interview, Superbon proved on fight night that he can fight up close and personal when needed.
There are no secrets regarding where the former world champion does his best work. During his time at the top of the pound-for-pound list, the big question was whether anyone could close the gap on him to eliminate his excellent range control and kicking arsenal.
Grigorian did take that space away from him on April 5 but the Thai fighter chose to meet fire with fire on occasion. His step-in knees in particular made his opponent think twice about walking forward constantly for the duration of the fight.
