"I'll work hard to do my own thing" - Kang Ji Won eager to show improved grappling defense against Kirill Grishenko

Kang Ji Won knows what to expect from his next opponent as he prepares to make the walk at ONE Fight Night 23.

The South Korean heavyweight contender believes that his grappling defense will be once again put to the test on July 5.

In some ways, the match-up with him and Kirill Grishenko is your classic striker vs grappler contest where whoever can keep the fight where they want it should come away with the victory.

In order to give himself the best chance of victory, Kang Ji Won has been working to improve this side of the game that has been exploited in the past by opponents like Ben Tynan and Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida.

He spoke in a fight week interview with Nick Atkin for Sportskeeda about his approach to this contest:

"He's a wrestler, we all know. So my focus will be to defend all his takedowns, basically all the wrestling defense and stuff. And I'll work hard to do my own thing, and hopefully, I'll get the victory if that's the case."

Watch the full interview below:

Kang Ji Won has the ability to knock anyone out

Whilst Kirill Grishenko may come into this fight with the intention of grappling Kang Ji Won, every fight starts on the feet.

Whilst the fight does stay standing, the South Korean knockout artist is a serious threat to anyone in the division.

All four of his victories under the ONE Championship banner have come by knockout or TKO and that poses a big threat to Grishenko despite him working hard on his striking ahead of this fight.

With an average bout duration of just over four minutes, Kang Ji Won can close the show very quickly meaning that the longer that it takes Grishenko to find a takedown, the more he is at risk.

ONE Fight Night 23 will air live and free at US prime time for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.