Luo Chao Promises Victory Over Childhood Hero Marat Grigorian
As a young fight fan in China, Luo Chao watched Marat Grigorian knock out Superbon at a tournament on Chinese soil. On Saturday, he has to stop admiring the Armenian and start trying to beat him.
“The Handsome White Dragon” meets the three-time Glory Kickboxing World Champion in a semifinal of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament at ONE SAMURAI 4 on Saturday, October 17, live from Tokyo’s Ariake Arena. The tournament winner earns a guaranteed shot at reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon.
The 25-year-old Nanchang native rides a six-fight winning streak that began with four wins on the ONE Hero Series in China. He edged Denis Souza Jr. by split decision at ONE Fight Night 43 in May, then outpointed Kosuke “Unstoppable Phoenix” Takagi at ONE SAMURAI 2.
Grigorian, 35, has challenged twice for ONE gold and owns a four-fight winning streak of his own, most recently a unanimous decision over Mamuka Usubyan at The Inner Circle 25 in August. For Luo, simply sharing a ring with him carries enormous weight.
“It means so much. I basically watched him fighting [while growing] up. He’s one of the biggest names in the Chinese kickboxing community as well. Fighting against someone like him will be one of the biggest milestones of my career,” Luo said.
“He doesn’t really have any weaknesses. The only one thing is that he might be a little slow compared to me. But his boxing, his combos, his cardio, his experience – everything is just perfectly executed.”
Raised on sanda, Luo fights with angles and rhythm that rarely look the same twice, and he brings a 44-11 record and a two-inch height advantage into the ring. Victory would move him one step closer to following Tang Kai as the next Chinese athlete to wear ONE gold.
Back home, a fan base that once marveled at Grigorian will now be firmly behind Luo. Even so, he made sure to pay his respects before the opening bell.
“I just want to put on a great performance for the fans from around the globe. I hope you can all enjoy the event, and let’s bring this victory back home,” he said.
“Marat, you are a legend. I’m a big fan, and it’s an honor sharing the ring with you. [I’ve got] nothing but respect.”
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