“I hope to be back as soon as possible” - Marat Grigorian eyes quick turnaround after vintage display at ONE Friday Fights 92
Veteran Armenian fighter Marat Grigorian seeks to sustain the winning momentum he generated from the victory he had last week and looks to make a quick turnaround and plunge back into action.
The 33-year-old Hemmers Gym standout was among the winners at ONE Friday Fights 92: Sitthichai vs. Shadow on Dec. 20 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. He knocked out Moroccan opponent Abdelali Zahidi in the second round of their catchweight (159 lbs) kickboxing clash.
In the post-event interview sessions following ONE Friday Fights 92, Grigorian signified his intention to return to action as soon as possible to build on the win and for the fans who have been supportive of him.
He said:
"For my fans, thank you, around the world. Thank you. I always get so many love and support from around the world. Thank you for following me, and thank you for always sending me nice things, you know. I hope to be back as soon as possible."
At ONE Friday Fights 92, Marat Grigorian bounced back after losing in his previous fight against Thai superstar Superbon by decision in April for the interim featherweight kickboxing world title. He was in his element as he dominated and KO'd Zahidi in the event, which served as the last live offering of ONE Championship for the year 2024.
The complete ONE Friday Fights 92 replay is available on ONE Championship's official YouTube channel, the ONE Super App, and at watch.onefc.com. Geo-restrictions may apply.
Marat Grigorian keen on taking on ONE newcomer Liu Mengyang next
For his next match, Marat Grigorian said he is keen on taking on ONE newcomer Liu Mengyang of China, who like him was a winner at ONE Friday Fights 92 on Dec. 20.
The 33-year-old made this known in the post-fight interview sessions following ONE Friday Fights 92, saying that Liu was impressive in defeating Japanese star Masaaki Noiri by unanimous decision and he wanted to test the Chinese fighter.
Grigorian said:
"I saw the Chinese guy won [against] Noiri. So maybe him, I don't know. Who else? Because Noiri was in the top five I think. So that's why, and he lost today, and the Chinese guy will come in his place. So maybe I'm going to fight against him."
Liu punctuated his victory with a knockdown in the early goings of the opening round and never relented with his pressure from there.