“We get older, we get stronger” – Marat Grigorian on how he remains sharp after countless wars in his decorated career

With more than 80 fights, Marat Grigorian is nothing short of a legend in the sport of kickboxing.

Grigorian, a former three-time GLORY Kickboxing world champion, made his highly anticipated return to the ring on Sunday at ONE 165 in Tokyo, Japan. Strapping on the eight-ounce gloves, Grigorian met a familiar face his longtime rival and eight-time Muay Thai and kickboxing champ, Sitthichai Sitsonpeenong.

After a back-and-forth affair in the first two rounds, Grigorian landed a vicious body shot in the final canto that sent the Thai crashing to the canvas. Speaking with members of the media following his 68th career victory, Marat Grigorian believes that time has helped him to become stronger, but he also recognizes that father time eventually catches up to us all.

“You know, every time we get a little bit older, we also get stronger,” Grigorian said in his post-fight interview. “We get more experience, we see more, we see more mistakes, we are sharper, you know. But everything still has time. Sitthichai is one of the best fighters, he was performing very well, but the knee was just on point.”

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Marat Grigorian thrilled to finish Sitthichai rivalry with a KO in Japan

After nearly a decade of fighting one another around the world, Marat Grigorian was thrilled for the opportunity to close out his rivalry with Sitthichai in such an emphatic fashion. And to do it in Japan made it especially sweet for the Armenian knockout artist.

“We had already [fought] for eight years at the top, eight years of fighting each other, and we are one of the best kickboxers in the world. I’m happy to win this again on KO on his body. I’m so happy and in Japan!”

Now the question is, what comes next for Marat Grigorian?

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE 165 replay can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.