‘I Will Bring Hell’ – Marat Grigorian Plans To Torment Rukiya Anpo At ONE 173
Three-time Kickboxing World Champion Marat Grigorian has heard enough from Rukiya “Demolition Man” Anpo, and now, he’s ready to deliver a brutal reality check inside the Circle.
The Armenian veteran will face the former three-time K-1 Champion in a featherweight kickboxing clash at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri, which goes down live inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Sunday, November 16.
Tension between the pair reached a boiling point during the ONE 173 Press Conference in September, where the Japanese fighter dismissed Grigorian as predictable and one-dimensional.
While the Hemmers Gym product maintained his composure during the heated exchange, the disrespect has been burning inside him ever since. And with their clash fast approaching, the 34-year-old is ready to make the promotional newcomer pay dearly for his trash talk.
Grigorian said:
“He’s been talking a lot, hasn’t he? He’s delusional. He thinks he can just come, beat me up, and finish me like I’m nothing. Everyone knows that I’m much better than what he thinks I am.
“When people talk [badly] about me, I’ll make them pay. As the days get shorter, he will understand who he’s gonna face. I will bring hell, and he will feel the pain.”
That warning isn’t empty bluster. Grigorian has faced the world’s best strikers for nearly two decades. He’s even challenged twice for ONE Championship gold and holds victories over legendary names like Superbon and Sitthichai “Killer Kid” Sitsongpeenong.
The Armenian has seen a variety of characters, too, which leads him to believe that the 29-year-old is merely masking his fear behind bold claims.
He told onefc.com:
“I think it’s just his way to hide his fear – the fear that he knows what will be in front of him in Tokyo.
“No one can speak to me like that. But let him speak now. The days will go fast, and when ONE 173 comes, I’ll show him who Marat Grigorian is.”
Given his motivation to shut him up for good, Grigorian made it clear that he’s not interested in going the distance in this high-stakes featherweight kickboxing affair.
The Antwerp-based warrior, who has accumulated 36 knockouts from 68 career victories, wants violence, and he promises to inflict punishment and make Anpo regret every word he said.
He added:
“With my output, I will go through his chin. I just want to beat him up really badly. I just want to feel his chin on my knuckles.
“I will just run through him. I will knock him out. I want him to have a good dream while he’s asleep and looking at the roof. I just want to catch him and enjoy Japan.”
Grigorian Ready For Any Scenario Against Anpo
While emotion fuels Marat Grigorian’s motivation, he hasn’t let anger consume his mind. He is still diligently preparing for battle.
Grigorian has dissected Anpo’s footage extensively and expects the former K-1 stud to use his movement and speed to frustrate him, perhaps even attempting to fight on the back foot when the pressure mounts.
The Armenian shared:
“He will start very directly, I think. He will start attacking, and he will be very sharp. And he will move a lot – not try to move and attack me, but he will move a lot and run away from me. But I’m ready to run with him and try to smash him.”
Grigorian’s training camp has been centered around Anpo’s pace while maintaining the power and precision that have taken the Armenian to multiple World Championships.
Nick Hemmers, founder and head coach of Hemmers Gym in Breda, Netherlands, has made sure, however, that his star pupil doesn’t underestimate what the promotional newcomer brings to the table.
After all, Anpo has racked up plenty of highlight-reel victories. Still, Grigorian believes his experience in high-pressure situations gives him the edge.
He continued:
“We need to work a little bit faster because he’s very fast, but his boxing skills are really good. And we will work on that, of course. I’m also working with my legs.
“At this level, you need to work on everything. And I have been working on everything for this fight – speed, movement, combination, defense. Everything.”
Beyond the personal animosity lies an even bigger prize. In the main event of ONE 173, reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon will face interim titleholder Masaaki Noiri in a unification bout.
Grigorian wants the winner of that clash, and after falling short of his World Title dreams twice, the Dutch-kickboxing stylist reckons the third time will be the charm.
He offered:
“I’m already there [in the World Title picture]. I just need this win, continue winning, and warm my hands up for fighting Superbon or Noiri. Whoever wins, I don’t care. I just want that ONE World Title. That’s it.”
