“We had more than enough time” - Kirill Grishenko says preparation going well ahead of clash with Kang Ji Won

Kirill Grishenko is slated to return from a long MMA hiatus in ONE Fight Night 23, after his last appearance in ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022.

After his defeat from the likes of ONE triple champ Anatoly Malykhin and heavyweight superstar Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida, he has been working hard to return in a better form.

It is not surprising that he wanted to elevate his striking skills into another level, as he is up against a renowned South Korean striker, Kang Ji Won at ONE Fight Night 23 on July 5 inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

And given his time behind the screen, Grishenko shares why his new-and-improved skills may come in handy against Kang in a recent interview with ONE Championship:

“We started preparing two-and-a-half months before the fight, as soon as we knew the date, so we had more than enough time. Since the opponent is a striker, we are ready to fight in the stand-up, but if the fight goes to the ground, we won’t fail there either.”

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Kirill Grishenko is putting his stand-up skills to the test

It seems that in the heavyweight division, all of the top contenders have the power in their hands, and Kirill Grishenko is no exception.

The Belarusian brawler has been honing his stand-up skills since he last competed in ONE on Prime Video 1, and now he's ready to put it up to the test against a proven knockout artist in Kang Ji Won, at ONE Fights Night 23.

Grishenko has already possessed a very high level of grappling prowess, and he is going to use his striking to set them up even better.

Although some would say standing and trading strikes with the South Korean is not a good idea, Grishenko will be able to use the opportunities to wrestle, which will arise if he lands his strikes on the opponent's feet.

ONE Fight Night 23 is airing live and free in U.S. primetime via active Prime Video subscriptions for the North American viewers.