Kang Ji Won certain win over Kirill Grishenko will land him world title shot vs Anatoly Malykhin: “It thoroughly makes sense”

South Korean knockout artist Kang Ji Won believes a big win at ONE Fight Night 23 over the returning Kirill Grishenko should secure him a shot at the promotion's reigning three-division king, Anatoly Malykhin.

Emanating from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, ONE Championship's latest Prime Video offering will pack a big punch as some of combat sports' biggest stars take center stage for a Fourth of July clash.

In the heavyweight division, the 'Mighty Warrior' will look to keep his 100% finish rate intact when he goes toe-to-toe with former ONE interim heavyweight world title challenger Kirill Grishenko.

Amassing a solid 4-2 record with big wins over Amir Aliakbari, Paul Elliott, and Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif, Kang Ji Won believes another highlight-reel finish against the Belarusian bruiser will net him a title tilt with Russian juggernaut Anatoly Malykhin.

"100 percent. If I win, it thoroughly makes sense for a world title challenge," Won told Sportskeeda MMA during a recent interview.

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Kirill Grishenko ready to make a statement against Kang Ji Won in high stakes heavyweight showdown

Making his promotional debut at ONE on TNT IV in April 2021, Grishenko scored a sensational second-round KO against the next man in line to challenge Malykhin, Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane. He followed that up with a big unanimous decision victory over Dustin Joynson.

Unfortunately, things came crashing down for Grishenko shortly after that. Stepping inside the Circle with Anatoly Malykhin for an interim heavyweight title clash, Grishenko suffered his first loss on martial arts' biggest global stage, going down in the second round of their ONE: Bad Blood headliner.

After losing a second straight against 17-time BJJ world champion Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida, Grishenko stepped away from the spotlight for a couple of years to heal up and hone his skills. Now, he'll look to make a big statement against Kang Ji Won and reinsert himself into the heavyweight title picture.

ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 23 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, July 5.