“There were many hungry days” – Marat Grigorian shares how tough upbringing led him onto the global stage of ONE

Despite facing challenges in his upbringing, Marat Grigorian found solace in the world of martial arts. This passion has opened numerous doors for him, including the opportunity to compete in ONE Championship and ultimately improve his circumstances.

Originally from Talin, Armenia, the fighter, who is now 32 years old, credits kickboxing for helping him overcome his difficult upbringing. By traveling and competing in various locations around the globe, he was able to improve his own life as well as that of his family.

During a recent interview with Sportsmanor, Grigorian opened up about his childhood and how martial arts became a safe haven for him to discover his passions and future goals.

The Hemmers Gym athlete explained:

“I didn’t have a good childhood, there were many hungry days, many hungry days, you know. We are about four children, and I’m the youngest one. I’m the only man, I have three sisters so I had only one vision, and that was to help may parents, to help may family get a better life in every way possible. And that was when I started to focus on training, martial arts, in kickboxing.”

Please view the interview video below:

In 2020, Marat Grigorian joined ONE Championship, having previously held the title of three-time Glory kickboxing world champion. He also participated in various other promotions such as K-1 and Kunlun Fight.

In ONE, he has established himself as one of the top kickboxers in the promotion and has competed for the world title on two occasions.

Marat Grigorian’s Third Attempt at ONE World Title Glory

Marat Grigorian, a seasoned Armenian kickboxer, is optimistic that his third attempt will bring him success as he competes for the interim ONE featherweight kickboxing world championship in Bangkok, Thailand this week.

The highly skilled fighter from Hemmers Gym is set to face off against his longtime competitor Superbon from Thailand in the main event at ONE Friday Fights 58, which will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on April 5.

This will mark Grigorian’s third time competing for the featherweight kickboxing championship, following his previous losses to former title holder Superbon in March 2022 and current divisional ruler Chingiz Allazov in August. On both occasions, Grigorian was defeated by unanimous decision.

Ahead of his title rematch against Superbon, Marat Grigorian is carrying momentum from his dominant third-round knockout victory over Thai Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in January while competing in Japan.

ONE Friday Fights 58 will be broadcasted live on global pay-per-view on April through the website watch.onefc.com.