Growing up, “The Handsome White Dragon” Luo Chao watched Marat Grigorian with pure reverence. At ONE SAMURAI 4, that admiration ends where the first exchange begins.
The Chinese contender must put those feelings on hold when he meets the former ONE World Title challenger in the semifinals of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament on Saturday, October 17, live from Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
Fans in Japan can catch the action in person or stream it live on U-NEXT, while viewers around the world can tune in at live.onefc.com.
Luo punched his ticket to this matchup on a six-fight winning streak, which began with four straight wins on the ONE Hero Series in China.
This past May, the 25-year-old graduated to the global stage, edging Brazil’s Denis Souza Jr. by split decision at ONE Fight Night 43. Three months later, he outpointed Kosuke “Unstoppable Phoenix” Takagi at ONE SAMURAI 2 to earn his place in the final four.
Yet even with his hand raised in Japan, Luo walked away with something gnawing at him.
Luo told onefc.com:
“I instinctively thought that there were so many things I could do, but I didn’t. A lot of things we trained were not performed. I could do so much better.
“That was the second time I fought outside of China, and the first time in Japan, so I guess that’s part of the reason why I didn’t execute everything we prepared in the camp.”
Next comes a fighter whose name commands respect across the kickboxing world. Before either man joined the promotion, Grigorian knocked out current ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon at a tournament on Chinese soil, a performance that left a lasting mark on the country’s fight fans, a young Luo included.
The three-time Glory Kickboxing World Champion has since challenged twice for ONE gold. As the tournament frontrunner, Grigorian enters the semifinals on a four-fight winning streak, most recently a unanimous decision over Mamuka Usubyan at The Inner Circle 25 in August.
Luo said:
“It means so much. I basically watched him fighting [while growing] up. He’s one of the biggest names in the Chinese kickboxing community as well. Fighting against someone like him will be one of the biggest milestones of my career.
“He doesn’t really have any weaknesses. The only one thing is that he might be a little slow compared to me. But his boxing, his combos, his cardio, his experience – everything is just perfectly executed.”
At 35, the Armenian holds a decade of experience over Luo, having battled the best fighters of his generation.
Yet, with a 44-11 record of his own, “The Handsome White Dragon” is far from untested. Raised on sanda, China’s national martial art, he fights with angles and rhythm that rarely look the same twice. At 5-foot-11, he also holds a 2-inch height advantage.
The Nanchang native said:
“We prepared something very different to fight him. We would do something tricky based on my original style. But I don’t want to go into any details. We will see on fight night.
“You definitely need to be mentally strong fighting Marat, and of course we are pushing my body to a limit this time because I’m fighting one of the strongest guys in the division.”
Luo Is Done Admiring From Afar
The tournament champion earns a guaranteed shot at divisional king Superbon, and for Luo Chao, it would mean his first crack at 26 pounds of gold.
Getting there means toppling Marat Grigorian before moving on to the winner of the other semifinal matchup at ONE SAMURAI 4 — Masaaki Noiri versus Mohammad Siasarani. Should he clear both, Luo could follow ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai as the next Chinese athlete to wear ONE gold.
The sanda-bred striker said:
“Of course, I believe I will win against Marat, and then I believe I would face Masaaki Noiri in the final.
“I predict a victory, and I would try my best to win the fight with a knockout, or at least a knockdown.”
Back home, a fan base that once marveled at Grigorian will now be firmly behind Luo.
With that unwavering support, the admirer finally gets his chance to beat his own hero.
He said:
“I just want to put on a great performance for the fans from around the globe. I hope you can all enjoy the event, and let’s bring this victory back home.
“Marat, you are a legend. I’m a big fan, and it’s an honor sharing the ring with you. [I’ve got] nothing but respect.”
