Kirill Grishenko is geared up to get himself back into the ONE Heavyweight World Title conversation, and the Belarusian brawler knows a career-defining win against Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida at ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II on August 26, could do the trick.

Grishenko believes he has all the weapons to hand the multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion turned burgeoning MMA star his first loss inside the ONE Circle, and he vows to showcase their differences when they square off.

“I know what I’m capable of. He’s got the advantage on the ground overall and particularly in grappling, but not by a landslide. I can beat him in striking. I’m working on my striking a lot right now, and my [wrestling] base means he will struggle to take me to the ground,” the 31-year-old star said.

“Buchecha” has steam-rolled his way into the all-encompassing sport by relying on his world-class ground knowledge. His work on the canvas has helped him to a perfect 3-0 run so far. 

But Grishenko remains unfazed. From his point of view, Almeida still has a lot to do before he can hang with the best in the heavyweight division.

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“I think he’s a high-level grappler, a living legend, who has achieved a lot [in BJJ]. If he can improve his striking, he has a chance to be a champion [in MMA]. Now, he relies on his ground game too much,” he pointed out.   

“He has impressed me with his skills on the ground, but not with his striking. It’s too basic, too slow. If he wants to stay at the top of the game, he needs to become a well-rounded fighter.” 

ONE Championship: Grishenko learns from his only loss

Grishenko, on the other hand, has proven himself against some of the hardest men in the ever-growing weight class. His all-around arsenal has pushed him to two wins from three outings on the global stage, with the only defeat coming against Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin in their battle for the ONE Interim Heavyweight World Title this past February. 

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That loss provided the M2G and MGC representative plenty of insight into how to improve his game, and he is looking to showcase his development – and slow his opponent’s hype train – when they meet live in U.S. primetime at ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 26.

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“The fight gave me more confidence, despite the loss. Lessons were learned. Homework was done. And now, I’m working on correcting my mistakes, improving my weaknesses, and I hope to show my new skills in the next fight,” Grishenko said.