Marat Grigorian breathes aggression, and that trademark trait was on full display at The Inner Circle 25 in Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on August 7.
The three-time Glory Kickboxing world champion powered his way to a unanimous decision win over Mamuka Usubyan to book his ticket into the semifinal of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament.
As soon as the bell reverberated inside the legendary venue, the Hemmers Gym standout went at his foe with huge combinations. Punches, kicks, and everything in between — the 35-year-old ensured his foe stood no chance against his pressure-heavy game.
Grigorian will, however, be the first to admit that he could have displayed a far better version. That said, his focus is on what lies ahead:
“I can do much better. Doesn’t matter who we’re gonna meet. For me [I’m going to treat] everyone the same – I just need to destroy them. That’s all. It doesn’t matter who is in front of me.”
Standing in his way of advancing into the tournament final is Luo Chao, who sealed his spot in the last four after overcoming Kosuke Takagi in their three-round clash at ONE SAMURAI 2 last week.
For now, though, Grigorian is savoring his win. The Armenian knockout machine, who improved to 71-14, even delivered a message to fans who stood by him from day one. He continued:
“Thank you very much for the support and love. I’m feeling good. I get a lot of Thai fans around the world, of course. I have a lot of support and love around the world. I am really happy that people appreciate that. I’m doing my best on this high level of kickboxing. I hope to see you as soon as possible.”
Grigorian says Usubyan didn’t come to fight
Grigorian felt he could have performed much better, but it had nothing to do with matters that were within his control.
Per the 35-year-old, Usubyan showed up at The Inner Circle 25 with a plan to play it safe and hit it big on the scorecards. The Hemmers Gym fighter pointed out:
“It was just a little bit difficult to perform well because he was just running away. He was just here to make points. That’s what I was already thinking. The plan was to do more things, more combinations, to perform, and to show a good fight. But when your opponent is all the time running away, you can’t make that fight really good.”
