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Japanese kickboxing ace Kaito has a chip on his shoulder ahead of his ONE Championship debut.
The 27-year-old meets Mohammad Siasarani in a featherweight kickboxing showdown at ONE Friday Fights 109 on May 23, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Kaito arrives in ONE Championship as one of the biggest names in kickboxing. He boasts 26 knockouts in 58 victories. But he feels he has to show his worth to a whole new fan base.
And coming up against a threatening foe in Siasarani, Kaito believes he has to take out the Iranian to prove himself.
“I want to show how thoroughly I can dominate and finish an opponent who has already won in ONE, or rather, I feel I need to show that,” he said.
“I plan to dominate from the beginning and go for the finish from the first round.”
Kaito determined to settle score with Marat Grigorian after ONE 172 cancellation
Star-studded striker Kaito may have his plate full with Mohammad Siasarani. But he isn’t letting kickboxing stalwart Marat Grigorian out of his sight.
The Japanese fighter was due to meet Grigorian at ONE 172 this past March in Japan. That was until the bout was scrapped one day prior as the Armenian legend missed weight.
Despite the last-minute cancellation, Kaito still wants to lock up with Grigorian. And he knows he has to put on a strong performance versus Siasarani in order to have his wish granted.
“When that fight fell through, I was disappointed and received various criticism, but when I first got an offer for May, it was for Grigorian, so I was excited thinking we would finally fight, but that also didn’t work out due to timing issues,” he said.
“Now that Siasarani has been officially confirmed as my opponent, I’ve shifted my focus. I believe I absolutely need to settle things with Grigorian, so I want to resolve that properly within this year.”
