Marat Grigorian And Kosuke Takagi Get Opponents For ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament
Two more collisions have been locked in for ONE Championship’s blockbuster eight-man featherweight kickboxing tournament, and the winner earns a guaranteed shot at gold.
Three-time Glory Kickboxing World Champion Marat Grigorian meets Russian standout Mamuka Usubyan at The Inner Circle 25 on Friday, August 7. The bout streams live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
Grigorian appeared to place himself at the front of the queue with his most recent performance, needing less than two minutes to knock out Kaito at ONE SAMURAI 1 in April. The win improved his record to 70-14 and extended his winning streak to three, putting the veteran firmly back in the World Title conversation.
The Hemmers Gym representative has already shared the ring with reigning champion Superbon three times across his career, and the tournament now offers him a clear road toward a fourth. But Usubyan, unbeaten across four ONE Championship appearances, represents a serious threat to that plan.
The Armenia-born Russian most recently defeated Enzo Kartoum by unanimous decision on all three scorecards, extending his perfect promotional record to 4-0 and his overall mark to 24-2. His run has demonstrated real versatility, with wins in both Muay Thai and kickboxing rule sets.
The very next night, Japan’s Kosuke “Unstoppable Phoenix” Takagi collides with China’s Luo Chao at ONE SAMURAI 2 on Saturday, August 8, live from Tokyo’s EBARA WAVE Arena Ota.
The 28-year-old Takagi arrives with a professional record of 8-2, including four knockouts, and steps into ONE Championship for the first time straight into a title-eliminator tournament. His opponent, 25-year-old Luo Chao, carries a 43-11 record and 18 knockouts, having already navigated the promotion’s developmental league to reach the main roster.
Luo made his main roster debut in May with a hard-fought split-decision win over Brazil’s Denis Souza Jr. Now he faces another newcomer whose karate pedigree makes him anything but a comfortable assignment.
With all four quarterfinal matchups now locked in, the road to a title shot against Superbon promises fireworks at every turn.
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