Chingiz Allazov may be on top of the kickboxing world right now, but that doesn’t mean he’s satisfied with his skill set. The ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion will be looking to showcase an even better version of himself when he makes his first defense of the divisional crown against Marat Grigorian in the main event of ONE Fight Night 13 on Friday, August 4. 

Allazov shocked the world by knocking out former titleholder and pound-for-pound great Superbon Singha Mawynn to claim the gold in January, and he says the win pushed him to unforeseen levels of popularity in the country of his former foe.

Chingiz Allazov keeps training for wins despite being the star he is today

“I’ve become one of the most popular fighters in the world,” he told ONE Championship. “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.”

At the time of their main event clash, Superbon was on an insane unbeaten run that dated back to 2018, so he was naturally the favored fighter when they stepped into action at ONE Fight Night 6. “Chinga” entered the fight with supreme confidence, nonetheless. And with the ultimate champion’s mindset, he returned to the gym almost immediately after scoring the jaw-dropping victory over the Thai superstar.

“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,’” Allazov said. “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.’”

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His opponent on August 4 is a familiar foe. Allazov and Grigorian have faced each other twice before, but that was 10 years ago. Their record stands at 1-0, with the latter scoring the win when they last clashed and the first meeting ending in a no-contest ruling.

Chingiz Allazov may go for another finish against his known opponent

Both men have become striking superstars in their own right since then, winning tournaments and championships in various promotions over the last decade. But with the defending World Champion a fight down in their rivalry, fans should expect him to be hunting for another emphatic finish in the trilogy contest.

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ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an active Amazon subscription.