“A Fighter That Has No Immediate Weaknesses” – Kang Ji Won Ready to Put His Knockout Power to the Test Against Kirill Grishenko at ONE Fight Night 23

South Korean powerhouse Kang Ji Won is set to showcase his knockout power once again in ONE Championship next week, and he’s looking to string some wins together in the heavyweight MMA ranks.

“Mighty Warrior” will be in action against former ONE World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video on Friday, July 5, inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Kang Ji Won reveals that he’s training to give Kirill Grishenko a tough competition

The 28-year-old had nothing but good things to say about his Belarusian foe in a recent interview with ONE, but he’s hoping to make the most of his skill set to score the win when they meet. 

“Well, he is a great wrestler, is a tall fighter, and has great cardio. In all objectivity, he’s a fighter that has no immediate weaknesses. He is a powerful fighter,” he said.

“I’m training a lot on getting my conditioning in tip-top form. What’s important is that I continue to train and develop what I’m best at, such as my speed, so I can capitalize on my best weapons during the fight.”

Grishenko is coming off a quick submission loss to BJJ legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022. However, that loss doesn’t reflect how dangerous the M2G product can be inside the ring. After all, four of his five professional MMA wins have come by either knockout or submission. 

Meanwhile, Kang has been alternating wins with losses since claiming back-to-back victories upon his arrival at ONE in February 2021. He’s currently on an upswing, though, after taking out American behemoth Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif with a ground-and-pound in the second round of their encounter at ONE Fight Night 18 this past January. 

“Mighty Warrior” will try a holistic approach against Grishenko

Asked if he has already laid down a path to victory against Grishenko, the Wang Ho standout offered a preview of the things he’s been working on and said he will draw from lessons he has learned from his wide variety of past opponents. 

“We’ll only know when we’re in the ring together, but I believe I will focus on my forward pressure and keep my footwork on point throughout the fight and give him trouble,” Kang said. 

“We’re trying our best to be holistic with our approach. Defending the takedown is important, but we’re really looking to invest heavily in using the weapons I have to take the fight to Kirill.

“As you mentioned, I’ve consistently faced wrestlers and grapplers, so working on grappling defense has been a second nature to my camps.”