Thai superstar Superbon will lean on his dangerous, well-rounded skill set when he squares off with Marat Grigorian for the ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Title. That much-anticipated clash – the third and deciding fight between the pair of elite pound-for-pound strikers.
It will go down live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on April 5 in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 58. Superbon first battled the Armenian icon in 2018 outside of ONE, suffering a stunning, first-round knockout.
Superbon believes he’s got a bigger arsenal
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But four years later, when they met again at ONE X with the Thai’s featherweight kickboxing crown on the line, Superbon put on a dazzling display of striking technique and top-flight fight IQ to earn a unanimous decision and even the score.
Looking back on their rivalry, the 33-year-old says he’s evolved more than Grigorian over the course of their six-year rivalry: “I think I have improved more than Marat. He still fights in the same way as our first fight that I lost. He’s strong, but his style is still the same.”
Indeed, Grigorian has proven himself to be one kickboxing’s hardest hitters and toughest fighters to take out. He’ll come into this contest following a highlight-reel stoppage of respected Thai Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong. While Superbon respects his foe’s weapons, he believes that Grigorian is a limited, one-track fighter:
“Marat’s strength is his endurance. He can absorb any attack really well. He’s able to keep punching until the final round without running out of gas. If I’m not fit enough, I’ll be no match for him in the long game.”
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He’s been watching closely
“His weakness is that he only has one weapon: his punches.” He said. For his part, Superbon is a veteran of 150 combined Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts, a former two-time ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion, and – importantly – one of the planet’s most skilled stand-up fighters.
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Capable of fighting on the lead or the counter, with kicks, punches, or knees, the Thai is confident that his well-roundedness will carry him to victory on April 5: “What I’m better at than Marat is skills. I have more weapons in my arsenal, such as kicks, knee strikes, punches, and push kicks, while Marat only has punches. That’s why I can dominate him.”