ONE Championship

A three-time Glory Kickboxing World Champion is one win away from another shot at gold, and the road runs through a fighter who has looked sharper with every passing round.

Marat Grigorian meets “The Handsome White Dragon” Luo Chao in the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament semifinals when ONE SAMURAI 4 touches down inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Saturday, October 17.

Grigorian booked his semifinal spot with a commanding unanimous decision over Mamuka Usubyan at The Inner Circle 25 on August 7, extending his win streak to four and improving his career mark to 71-14.

Luo, meanwhile, survived a second-round setback against Kosuke Takagi at ONE SAMURAI 2 before rallying with a third-round assault that pushed his own record to 44-11.

The other half of the bracket carries its own weight that night, with Masaaki Noiri and Mohammad Siasarani meeting in the tournament’s second semifinal on the same Ariake Arena card. Whoever survives that pairing will be waiting for the winner of Grigorian and Luo once the eight-man field narrows to a single finalist.

Marat Grigorian faces a stern styles test at ONE SAMURAI 4

Marat Grigorian’s suffocating forward pressure and heavy hands have made him one of the hardest puzzles to solve in the division, and Luo will need every ounce of the composure he showed against Takagi to survive three rounds. Grigorian’s pedigree at the elite level, including a prior run at ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World gold, gives him a slight experience edge, but Luo has already proven he can weather adversity mid-fight after his comeback in Tokyo.

The tournament winner will eventually earn a guaranteed shot at reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon, an incentive steep enough to sharpen both men’s focus in training camp. Grigorian has challenged for that title without success, and a trip through this bracket represents his clearest path back to the conversation, while a win for Luo would instantly vault the Chinese contender into the biggest opportunity of his career.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM