Marat Grigorian And Kaito To Finally Settle Their Featherweight Rivalry At ONE Samurai 1
A featherweight kickboxing bout with genuine bad blood behind it has been added to ONE Samurai 1. Marat Grigorian and Kaito will finally meet on April 29 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena, over a year after a weigh-in controversy derailed their first scheduled encounter and ignited a very public war of words between the two camps.
The pair were originally booked to clash at ONE 172 last March, a fight the kickboxing world had been anticipating. It never happened. Grigorian came in 0.75 lbs over the featherweight limit on weigh-in day, and when his team offered a catchweight arrangement with partial purse compensation, Kaito declined.
The bout was cancelled, and what followed was a social media back-and-forth that turned a scheduling dispute into something considerably more personal — Grigorian publicly questioned Kaito’s warrior spirit, while Kaito maintained that it was a matter of principle.
Both men have fought since. Grigorian, a three-time Glory Kickboxing World Champion and two-time ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title challenger with a 69-14 record, channeled his frustration into a composed unanimous decision win over hard-hitting Japanese debutant Rukiya Anpo at ONE 173 last November.
The Hemmers Gym standout’s forward pressure and relentless combinations proved too much for the newcomer, and the victory kept him firmly in the frame for a third crack at undisputed champion Superbon.
Kaito’s path has been rougher. The Team F.O.D. standout arrived for his ONE Championship debut at ONE Friday Fights 109 in May carrying 59 career wins and a scalp over former ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri.
He struggled against Mohammad Siasarani’s pressure and volume, rallied late, and lost a unanimous decision. The defeat left a significant point to prove — and no more fitting opponent to prove it against than one of the most decorated featherweights on the planet.
April 29 in Tokyo brings the resolution this rivalry demands.
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