“It was finished” – Marat Grigorian breaks down his sickening body blow KO of rival Sitthichai at ONE 165

Marat Grigorian was glad to get the finish against Sitthichai to close out their iconic rivalry.

The three-time former GLORY Kickboxing titleholder stepped into the ring at Ariake Arena looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Chingiz Allazov in August.

The Armenian did exactly that, scoring a brutal third-round body shot knockout against Sitthichai, earning his 68th career victory and re-solidifying his spot in the division’s top five rankings.

“I saw with some punches, he had some pain in his body, and he’s breathing a little bit heavier,” Grigorian told Mitch Chilson during his post-fight interview. “So I tried with my knee. I thought in the second round, I got the eight count, but it wasn’t. But I’m happy that in the third round, it was finished.”

Marat Grigorian is now 4-2 under the ONE banner and could once again be one big win away from another shot at 26 pounds of gold.

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Marat Grigorian is determined to continue building his legacy in combat sports

For his third-career knockout in ONE Championship, Grigorian was the recipient of a $50,000 bonus courtesy of ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong. Though he was grateful for the extra cash, the most important thing was to leave Tokyo with a victory.

“I won a big bonus, but the important thing is that I won the fight. For me, that’s everything. Money comes and goes, but legacy…legacy stays forever.”

As for his opponent, Sitthichai has now lost three of his last four fights inside the Circle. Despite the string of bad luck, the eight-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion still resides in the featherweight top five of both sports, meaning he is just a couple of big wins away from getting right back into the title picture.

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE 165 replay can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.