Marat Grigorian thrilled to follow footsteps of idol Ramon Dekkers and compete in Lumpinee Stadium

At ONE Fight Night 13, Marat Grigorian will make a second attempt at winning the ONE featherweight kickboxing world championship.

In this talent-stacked division, the 32-year old has been able to maintain his place as an elite contender despite his loss to Superbon Singha Mawynn at ONE X last year.

Rebounding with a win late on in 2022, Grigorian saw a huge opportunity arise earlier this year. At ONE Fight Night 6 in January, the world champion was dethroned by Chingiz Allazov, a man that Grigorian has a long history with.

Having beaten Allazov 10 years ago, the two men were set to meet in the semifinal of the ONE Featherweight World Grand Prix Championship last year. However, that rematch hit a bump as the challenger caught COVID-19.

Though he was defeated by Superbon, Grigorian went on to win the tournament and secure a title shot of his own, leading both men’s paths to intersect once again.

On August 4, it's a repeat or revenge from their fight in 2013. But this time around, the ONE featherweight kickboxing world championship is on the line.

If he needs any extra motivation, Marat Grigorian is also excited to be able to fight at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

In an interview with ONE Championship, he spoke about one of his idols, Ramon Dekkers, and the incredible fights he had at Lumpinee which he will use as extra fuel on August 4:

“[Ramon Dekkers] had some unbelievable, crazy fights. I used to love watching his fights from Lumpinee. He had really crazy fights there, and I will also fight in Lumpinee now. That means something special. I will do my best to make it a historic day.”

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can tune in to ONE Fight Night 13 live and free in U.S. primetime this Friday, August 4.