Kaito Ono`s venture into ONE Championship appears to have gotten off to a rocky start.
Chatri Sityodtong, the CEO of ONE Championship, made his frustration clear regarding Kaito Ono`s refusal to fight Marat Grigorian. Speaking at the post-event press conference, Sityodtong openly expressed his displeasure.
Marat Grigorian, the fighter from Armenia and Belgium, reportedly missed the official hydration testing window. However, he was hydrated upon subsequent checks and weighed in only 0.75 pounds over the agreed-upon limit of 155 pounds.
Sityodtong commented on the situation, stating, “When a fighter genuinely wants to compete, they will find a way. Conversely, if a fighter is fearful of their opponent, they will seek out reasons to avoid the match. Kaito was arguably the biggest underdog against Grigorian on the entire card, so his choice to withdraw doesn`t surprise me – it was the easy way out. He had the opportunity to fight but declined… If the weight difference had been substantial, I would understand, but in this instance, it was literally less than half a pound. As I said, a fighter eager to fight will fight. One who is scared will grasp at any excuse. I`ve been in this industry for a long time; I`ve witnessed this dynamic repeatedly.”
Chatri also explicitly stated that while Kaito was compensated fully for the planned bout, he did not believe Kaito deserved the payment. He reinforced his disappointment by adding, “I believe Kaito should perhaps compete in smaller organizations.”
Regardless of one`s viewpoint, the current tension casts a shadow over Kaito`s prospective future with ONE Championship. The Shoot Boxing champion continues to compete actively in Japan and has expressed a desire for a rematch with Tyjani Beztati – a challenging ambition given that GLORY, where Beztati competes, eliminated its lightweight division last year in favor of tournament formats in other weight classes.
Securing a decisive victory in ONE could have significantly boosted his standing, potentially placing him in contention for a title shot and alongside the division`s elite fighters, a goal he has openly pursued.
Ellis Thorne