“I don’t like to take the one million dollars” - Chingiz Allazov not interested in joining openweight Muay Thai tournament

Kickboxing king Chingiz Allazov recently laid out why he’s not interested in joining the 16-man openweight Muay Thai tournament at ONE Championship.

News of the $1 million dollar openweight Muay Thai tournament has sparked a wild reaction from fans and athletes across the combat sports community. An experiment this massive has never been done before in the history of the promotion, especially in the openweight category.

For most, it’s an opportunity to see some of the greatest Muay Thai strikers in the world battle each other for ultimate glory and prestige. For others, it’s a great pay-out.

When newly-crowned ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Chingiz Allazov was asked if he would consider joining the million-dollar Muay Thai tournament, the 29-year-old phenom candidly replied:

“People say one million dollars and this and this. People love money but for me, money is not first."

He added:

"I don’t like to take the one million dollars. If I want to fight in Muay Thai, I go to fight in Muay Thai, for one dollar or two dollars or one hundred thousand dollars -- or one million dollars. There’s no problem. But I’m focusing right now on kickboxing. Before, I had questions about Tawanchai and other fighters in Muay Thai. Maybe he’ll like to fight in kickboxing. Come.”

Watch the full interview below:

It’s no secret ‘Chinga’ wants to compete against the best of the best in the world. He recently called-out two-sport lightweight world champion Regian Eersel for a kickboxing showdown after his jaw-dropping performance at ONE Fight Night 6.

With his goal right now to dominate the kickboxing scene while he’s still healthy, he hopes to get a crack at any world champion willing to take him on.

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Chingiz Allazov adds a second reason why he won’t compete in Muay Thai tournament

If you look back at Chingiz Allazov’s kickboxing record, his bread and butter has always come by way of winning tournaments.

Case in point, ‘Chinga’ pummeled three high-level contestants, two by knockouts and one by decision to win the ONE featherweight kickboxing world grand prix tournament in 2022.

Prior to that event, he was also the winner and world champion of the 8-man K-1 Super Welterweight World Grand Prix tournament in 2017.

Evidently excellent in tournaments, it’s reasonable to believe that he has a good chance of winning the $1 million dollar prize even if it's under the Muay Thai ruleset.

However, Chingiz Allazov thinks otherwise:

“I like Thai style, but in 11 years I haven’t fought in Muay Thai. You drive a speedy car and you drive to Formula 1, it’s no good you know.”