Marat Grigorian to fight Kaito Ono at ONE Samurai 1 in Tokyo

Armenian kickboxer Marat Grigorian (69-14) will have his next bout against Japanese fighter Kaito Ono (61-10). The fight will take place on April 29 in Tokyo at the ONE Samurai 1 event, which will be held at Ariake Arena.

This will be the second attempt to organize their matchup. Initially, Grigorian and Kaito were scheduled to meet in March 2025, but the fight was canceled at the last moment. The reason was that Grigorian came in 350 grams over the weight limit. Despite the Armenian fighter agreeing to forfeit 30% of his purse to keep the bout, Kaito ultimately refused to fight.

Since then, both athletes have had new performances.

Grigorian last fought in November 2025, when he defeated Japanese fighter Rukiya Anpo at ONE 173.

Kaito later made his ONE Championship debut, but lost by unanimous decision to Mohammad Siasarani. After that, the Japanese fighter returned to competing in Japan and scored several victories, including a title defense against former ONE fighter Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

The fight between Grigorian and Kaito could become an important title contender bout in the featherweight division. Previously, the Armenian kickboxer was hoping to earn a title shot against champion Superbon after his victory at ONE 173.

The ONE Samurai 1 event will become the first event of ONE Championship’s new monthly Japanese series. The card will also feature several high-profile fights, including a rematch between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Takeru Segawa for the interim flyweight title, a title defense by Jonathan Haggerty against Yuki Yoza, and an MMA title fight between Yuya Wakamatsu and Avazbek Kholmirzaev.

If the fight takes place, it will serve as a long-awaited resolution to the conflict that arose after the cancellation of their first bout and could significantly impact the balance of power in the division.