Marat Grigorian credits Hemmers Gym for reigniting his passion for fighting

No.2-ranked ONE featherweight kickboxing contender Marat Grigorian is on the cusp of becoming a world champion if he beats Chingiz Allazov this Friday at ONE Fight Night 13.

The opportunity of a lifetime wouldn’t have been made possible if Grigorian did not leave his comfort zone in Algeria and taken a leap of faith to train under the famed Hemmers Gym in Breda, Netherlands.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 32-year-old revealed having a hard time booking fights locally after going through the top-level competition in his native country.

This dampened his desire to continue a career in martial arts until Hemmers Gym opened its doors for him and reignited his passion for the striking arts.

While it was a big adjustment at first, Grigorian eventually felt right at home, and rest, as we now know, is history:

“When I went there, everything went so well. I was feeling more complete,” he shared. “I was thinking, ‘That’s what I need in my career to get better.’ And that’s what happened.”

Training under the watchful eye of legendary trainer Cor Hemmers, Grigorian’s new surroundings helped unlock his full potential and he became an elite striker feared across the globe.

The three-time GLORY lightweight kickboxing world champion eventually took his talents to ONE Championship and joined its stacked 155-pound kickboxing division.

Marat Grigorian went on to win three of his first four bouts inside the circle, with his lone setback coming at the hands of former featherweight kickboxing king Superbon Singha Mawynn.

Now, the former featherweight world title challenger wants to capitalize on his second opportunity at gold, against an opponent he already bested before in combat.

ONE Fight Night 13 takes place this Friday, August 4, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The entire nine-fight spectacle will air live and free for those with a Prime Video subscription in North America.