Over a year of buildup. One hundred and eleven seconds to finish it. Now Marat Grigorian wants the title.

Grigorian stopped Kaito Ono at 1:51 of round one in a featherweight kickboxing bout at ONE SAMURAI 1, on April 29 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, earning his 70th career win in the process. The Armenian landed a right hand-left hook combination to set the trap, waited for Kaito to counter, then connected with the overhand right that put the Japanese standout flat on the canvas. The finish settled a rivalry that had simmered since their original ONE 172 booking collapsed in March 2025 when Grigorian missed the featherweight limit and Kaito refused a catchweight bout. The fallout was public. The result in Tokyo was not.

Grigorian stayed composed through every exchange and said the finish confirmed everything his camp had prepared. His coach had mapped out the sequence. Grigorian executed it without emotion and without deviation.

“When that overhand right landed, and he went down, it was confirmation of all my hard work. Everything I saw in camp played out exactly how I had envisioned it would be,” he said.

“I stayed calm. There were no emotions involved. It was just me completing the job that I came to do.”

Marat Grigorian wants a finish this time

Marat Grigorian has faced ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon twice. Both fights went the full distance. He lost both. He has spent every session since then working on the adjustments that he believes will make their third meeting end differently.

The win over Kaito Ono puts him back at the front of the queue. Grigorian is not interested in another close call. He wants a stoppage, on his terms, with no judges involved.

“I’m more complete now. Smarter, calmer, but still dangerous. I’ve learned from every fight, especially the ones against him,” he said.

“There will be a different version of me in this next fight. I want to control, dominate, and finish him. I don’t want to leave it to the judges this time and I want it in my hands.”