Grigorian Vs. Usubyan, Takagi Vs. Luo Confirmed For ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament
ONE Championship has completed the bracket for its blockbuster eight-man ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament, revealing the final two matchups that will determine who earns a shot at gold.
Three-time Glory Kickboxing World Champion Marat Grigorian will square off against Russian standout Mamuka Usubyan at The Inner Circle 25 on Friday, August 7. The bout streams live in Asia primetime via live.onefc.com from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
The very next night, Japan’s Kosuke “Unstoppable Phoenix” Takagi collides with China’s Luo Chao at ONE SAMURAI 2 on Saturday, August 8, live from the iconic EBARA WAVE Arena Ota. The winner of the tournament will earn a guaranteed shot at reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon.
In two previously announced bouts, former ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri will seek revenge against “Spirit Dragon” Liu Mengyang, while Japanese star Kaito Ono runs it back with Iranian powerhouse Mohammad Siasarani.
Grigorian Aims To Make ONE World Title Shot Undeniable
Marat Grigorian appeared to place himself at the front of the featherweight kickboxing queue with his most recent performance. The Armenian icon needed less than two minutes to knock out Kaito at ONE SAMURAI 1 on April 29, ending their heated rivalry with a decisive statement inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
The victory improved his record to 70-14 and delivered the fastest knockout of his ONE Championship tenure. It also extended Grigorian’s winning streak to three.
The Hemmers Gym representative began his current surge by stopping Abdelali “Black Diamond” Zahidi in the second round at ONE Friday Fights 92. He then outworked former K-1 Champion Rukiya “Demolition Man” Anpo across three hard rounds at ONE 173 before dismantling Kaito.
The decorated veteran will now enter a tournament filled with the division’s finest talent and attempt to make his next title opportunity undeniable.
Grigorian has already shared the ring with Superbon three times across their careers. He famously knocked out the Thai superstar in only 29 seconds outside ONE in 2018. But their two meetings inside the promotion both ended with Superbon earning decision victories.
The ONE SAMURAI tournament now offers Grigorian a definitive path toward another chapter in that rivalry and another chance to claim the major prize still missing from his decorated resume. But his opening assignment is far from a formality.
Mamuka Usubyan has built a flawless promotional record and now receives the biggest opportunity of his ONE run. The Armenia-born Russian most recently defeated Enzo Kartoum via unanimous decision in the co-main event of ONE Friday Fights 158 on June 12.
His volume and precision earned him the victory on all three scorecards, extending his perfect ONE record to 4-0 and improving his professional slate to 24-2.
That unbeaten run has also demonstrated Usubyan’s versatility across different rule sets.
He opened his ONE tenure by edging future ONE Interim Featherweight Muay Thai World Title challenger Shadow Mavinn in a competitive three-round battle. Usubyan then stopped Khunsuek Superbon Training Camp in the second round before switching to kickboxing and earning consecutive unanimous decisions over Yassin Airad and Kartoum.
Those four victories have earned the 32-year-old a place in the prestigious tournament, but Grigorian represents a dramatic increase in danger. A victory would keep Grigorian’s march toward Superbon and ONE gold firmly on course.
For Usubyan, defeating one of the greatest kickboxers of his generation would extend his perfect promotional record, eliminate a tournament favorite, and instantly transform him into a genuine World Title threat.
A Japanese Veteran Meets A Battle-Tested Striker
The 28-year-old Kosuke Takagi arrives with a professional record of 8-2, including four knockouts. Training out of Capital Raise Fighting GlaNz, the orthodox striker built his name as a Shoot Boxing Champion before turning his attention to the global stage.
Now he steps into ONE for the first time, and there’s no bigger opportunity to announce himself than an eight-man featherweight kickboxing tournament with a title shot on the line.
A debut of this magnitude is rare — most fighters spend years working toward contention, while Takagi finds himself thrust straight into the mix against a hardened Chinese kickboxer.
He faces Luo Chao, a 25-year-old Chinese fighter from Shengli Fight Club with a 43-11 career record and 18 knockouts who has already navigated the transition from the organization’s developmental league, ONE Hero Series, to the main roster.
Luo made his main roster debut in May 2026 against Brazil’s Denis Souza Jr. and earned a hard-fought split-decision victory to open his account. Now he faces another promotional newcomer, but one whose karate pedigree and finishing instincts make him anything but a comfortable assignment.
With four intriguing matchups now locked in, the road to a title shot against Superbon promises fireworks at every turn.
