Marat Grigorian says Chingiz Allazov will tire and slow down by round three

Marat Grigorian is ready to play the long game when he challenges Chingiz Allazov for the ONE featherweight kickboxing world championship.

The two rivals will meet in the main event of ONE Fight Night 13 on August 4, US primetime, at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Grigorian fought Allazov twice a decade ago taking a win and recording one no-contest. This time, however, Grigorian is facing the best possible version of Allazov.

Nevertheless, the Armenian star is coincident that he has the tools and the game plan to wrest the ONE featherweight kickboxing world title away from his old foe.

Grigorian told ONE Championship in an interview:

“Sometimes I start slowly, and I get a little bit better and better. But in this fight, I will try to fight directly, and not wait too much. So I think it should be an explosive 5-round fight. I think he will start very explosive in the first 2-3 rounds. And after that, he might go slower. I'm prepared for everything. So, let's see what happens.”

The two faced each other for the first time in April 2013, but their bout at Glory 7: Milan ended in a no-contest after Allazov got cut by an illegal elbow.

They ran it back more than a year later, and this time Grigorian got his unanimous decision win over Allazov at Victory in December 2014.

Now that both pound-for-pound greats are in ONE Championship, their trilogy match is sure to push their rivalry further.

Allazov isn’t just the reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion, he’s also the no.1 pound-for-pound kickboxer in Beyond Kickboxing’s rankings.

Grigorian, meanwhile, is 3-1 in ONE Championship and is the no.7 pound-for-pound kickboxer in the world.

ONE Fight Night 13 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.