Marat Grigorian Ready To Settle His Feud With Kaito Ono At ONE SAMURAI 1
This fight has been building for over a year, and it has not been quiet. When Marat Grigorian missed the featherweight limit by 0.75 pounds at ONE 172 last March, Kaito Ono refused a catchweight bout and walked away. What followed was a prolonged war of words between two fighters who had genuinely gotten under each other’s skin. On April 29, the talking ends.
Grigorian puts the feud to rest against Kaito in featherweight kickboxing at ONE SAMURAI 1, live from Tokyo’s Ariake Arena. The 34-year-old Armenian arrives on the back of back-to-back wins, most recently outpointing former three-time K-1 Champion Rukiya “Demolition Man” Anpo at ONE 173 in Tokyo — another rivalry resolved, another name crossed off the list.
Looking back at the exchange that followed ONE 172, Grigorian has no regrets about his side of it.
“I said what I felt I needed to say at that moment. For me, the warrior mentality means stepping up no matter what,” he said. “But things are different now because we’re finally going to settle it in the ring. Words don’t matter anymore. Action does.”
Grigorian’s relationship with Japanese audiences adds a layer of complexity to a bout where he is nominally the away fighter. He has built genuine affection with Japanese crowds over the course of a career that has taken him back to the country repeatedly, and the reception he receives there is something he values deeply — regardless of who he is fighting.
“Japan is where legends are made, and being part of this event is something special. It’s his home. He’ll have a lot of fans, but I don’t focus on that,” Grigorian said. “The love and support I get in Japan is always incredible. It’s hard to describe it, but I can’t wait to experience that again.”
Kaito steps in riding a three-fight winning streak and carrying the kind of hunger that comes with fighting on home soil for the first time at this level. Grigorian has studied him thoroughly — including his promotional debut loss to Mohammad Siasarani — and arrived at a precise tactical read rather than a dismissive one.
“It wasn’t his best performance. That was clear in that fight. But I don’t focus too much on that. I focus on myself, and I’m a very different kind of fighter than what he’s used to,” he said. “Against Rukiya Anpo, I stayed patient and waited for the right moments before breaking him down. Kaito is also tall, but he’s less powerful. I’ll adapt and take control when the time is right.”
A dominant performance in Tokyo would serve a purpose beyond settling the rivalry. Grigorian has challenged for the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title twice without winning it, and with Superbon Singha Mawynn currently holding the belt, the 34-year-old knows exactly where a statement win leads.
“If I dominate, there’s only one fight that makes sense: Superbon. No more questions. I’m in my prime right now,” he said. “I believe I deserve that shot. I’ve fought everyone at the top. As long as I stay healthy and everything is going well, I’ll keep pushing myself to the limit.”
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