Marat Grigorian says its KO or nothing vs Kaito Ono at ONE 172 in Japan: “I don’t want to waste fans’ time”

Marat Grigorian has only one thing on his mind when he steps inside the fabled Saitama Super Arena – a knockout.

The Armenian heavy-hitter aims to wrap things up early and maintain his spot as one of the top contenders for the coveted ONE featherweight kickboxing world title.

He welcomes promotional newcomer Kaito Ono in a featherweight kickboxing tussle, which will be part of the loaded ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card on Sunday, March 23.

He had this to say to ONE Championship ahead of fight night:

"Whenever I fight, I always come to produce a fight. A real fight. I don't want to waste fans' time, and I don't come there to waste my time or my opponent's time, either."

He added:

"I don't go for points. I always have one thing on my mind - to knock the guy standing in front of me out. That's it."

Marat Grigorian couldn't have summarized his style any better.

The former three-time Glory kickboxing world champion has built a reputation as one of the most hard-hitting strikers across all disciplines with his trademark trait, and he clearly does not plan on switching things up anytime soon.

His forward pressure, combinations, and fight IQ could prove to be the difference as he seeks to give Ono a rude welcome to martial arts' biggest stage at ONE 172.

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Marat Grigorian making adjustments to his game for Kaito Ono test

While aggression will be a permanent fixture in his fight, Marat Grigorian knows he just can't enter enemy territory without showing respect to Ono's striking tools.

As such, the multi-time world champion has been working on a couple of new styles alongside longtime coach Nick Hemmers to better his chances of emerging victorious in Japan.

He told Sportskeeda MMA separately:

"The small things make the big changes. We worked on something, some new styles. I will make that very visible in the fight. It will be an interesting matchup for all the fans."