- Black Belt Magazine
- Jul 31, 2023
- 3 min read
Chingiz Allazov set the world on fire with his run in the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix. Then he shocked the universe with a first-round knockout over Superbon Singha Mawynn to claim the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship.
For his first title defense, Allazov will have a chance to erase an earlier loss to Marat Grigorian. The two will meet again when ONE Championship returns to Prime Video on August 4 for ONEFight Night 13.
“I’ve become one of the most popular fighters in the world. When I stay in Krabi, [Thailand],many Thai people came to pay respect to me. I have many followers. It’s good, but it hasn’t changed my mentality,” Allazov told ONE.
“I knew in my mind I was number one before Superbon. But I was like, ‘Okay, we will do this in the real world and let people see that I am number one."
“The next morning [after the win], we had training with my coach. In the first round, I made one mistake. But we saw it, and we went to train the next day. We train every day. I say, ‘Coach, please help me beat my next opponent.’"
Their first meeting went to a no-contest due to a cut, but it was Grigorian who got the upper hand in the rematch with a unanimous decision victory.
Over nine years later, Allazov gets the rematch he has wanted.“I like this fight. I’ve been waiting for this day. ONE offered me three opponents for my first defense, and I picked Grigorian. We fought 10 years ago. The first time was a no-contest.
The second fight, I lost,” Allazov recalled.“After that, me and Marat moved up in the sport. We won tournaments. We won all the events.We won all the fights. I became number one in ONE Championship, the top fighter in my category, and my weight class is the best in the world.”
When looking at the matchup with the Armenian, Allazov believes he will have the technical advantage. He views his first challenger as similar to the man he took the belt from and is looking for the same result to happen inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
“For me, Marat is not technical. He is the same as Superbon. He is a strong fighter. He likes togo forward. He’s an aggressive fighter. But he doesn’t have good technique. His real power is closing the distance,” Allazov said.
“He likes to box, but I like to box more now. He likes kicks. I like kicking more now. He hasspeed and power. But I fight with my intelligence. I will get the victory.”
Although he hopes for an empathic finish, the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion is planning to go five full rounds against Grigorian.
If the opportunity presents itself, only then will he seek the knockout blow.
“I have many plans – to work my speed, move, and go forward and backward. We have a game plan for this fight. You will see in the fight,” Allazov said.
“In my fights, I never plan for a knockout. I fight, and if I see a mistake, I punch. I score a knockout. Maybe Marat will make a mistake, and I can knock him out. But my game plan is not the knockout. My game plan is to fight clever. My mind is ready, and my body is ready.”
ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video airs live on Friday, August 4, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. U.S.and Canadian Amazon Prime subscribers can watch all of the exciting action for free.
