Chingiz Allazov can’t wait to settle the score in trilogy with Marat Grigorian: “ I’ve been waiting for this day”

As his first order of business as ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion, Chingiz Allazov wants to settle a grudge with a familiar foe.

‘Chinga’ will be kickstarting his reign as the best striker in the 155-pound ranks when he takes on his former tormentor Marat Grigorian in the headlining act of ONE Fight Night 13 on August 4 at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

Currently ranked second in the ultra-stacked featherweight ranks, Grigorian is indeed the rightful world title challenger after going 3-1 under the ONE banner. Moreover, Grigorian also holds a victory over Allazov, something that the world champion is itching to redeem.

The Azerbaijan-Belarusian told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:

“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.”

Given the history between these two world-class strikers, it’s not surprising that Allazov chose the Armenian slugger as his first challenger.

They first locked horns outside the Singapore-based promotion in 2013, where the fight ended in a no-contest after Allazov suffered a cut due to an illegal elbow. The pair ran it back a few months later, where Grigorian left no stone unturned and outclassed Allazov to earn the unanimous decision win after three rounds.

While both fighters certainly evolved since they last met, the streaking Allazov wants to prove he grew more since their fateful encounter.

The 29-year-old is on a four-fight winning streak, capped off by that world-title-clinching knockout of Superbon at ONE Fight Night 6 last January.

If ‘Chinga’ gets his revenge, he’ll technically be 1-1-1 with Grigorian and a fourth match seems likely somewhere down the line. However, Grigorian wants to end this rivalry once and for all with a resounding victory and end Allazov’s reign before it even starts.

We’ll see which storyline will become a reality at ONE Fight Night 13. The promotion’s eighth Amazon Card of the year will air live in US primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.