Following the controversy surrounding Marat Grigorian missing weight and Kaito Ono subsequently refusing to fight him at a catchweight, Beyond Kickboxing`s Woradon Yomyinda spoke with the former GLORY champion and his coach, Nick Hemmers, to hear their side of the story regarding the cancelled bout.
Woradon Yomyinda: I`m here with Marat Grigorian. I understand that it`s a very disappointing day for you today. First of all, let`s go back to the weigh-in. What happened from the very beginning?
Nick Hemmers: The weight check window was from 10 AM to 1 PM. At nine o`clock, he was 69.5 kilos and needed to be 70.3 kilos, meaning he had 800 grams to cut. So, we drank one liter, went for a run to take it off, and then drank another half liter. He was close, but he couldn`t go to the toilet. That was the issue.
Marat Grigorian: I cannot pee. I cannot pee. That was the problem.
Nick Hemmers: So, we had to wait until he could pee. We tried three or four times, but he couldn`t. We ended up being about 30 minutes late past the weigh-in deadline. Even if you`re overweight, ONE rules state you still have to pass the hydration test, and you get extra time for that.
Woradon Yomyinda: Let`s take a step back. After drinking, you were late to the weigh-in, but you still managed to provide a urine sample for ONE Championship.
Marat Grigorian: Yes. Everything was good.
Woradon Yomyinda: So you passed hydration?
Nick Hemmers: Yes, we passed hydration. We passed the hydration test, but 30 minutes too late. Under ONE`s rules, this results in a fine. If you pass hydration, you are cleared to fight, but you must negotiate with your opponent because we were 340 grams overweight. That`s like half a bottle of water.
Woradon Yomyinda: As far as you know, are you allowed to tell me what happened during the negotiations and why they didn`t go well?
Nick Hemmers: We didn`t handle the negotiation, ONE did. Kaito was informed of the situation at two o`clock in the afternoon and had until eight o`clock to make a decision, giving him six hours. He waited until 1:30 in the morning when everyone was sleeping, and then he said no.
Woradon Yomyinda: You posted that Kaito should be playing tennis, not fighting.
Marat Grigorian: Yes, of course. Because look, we trained so hard for this big arena, this big event, and he`s abandoning everything and just walking away, but keeping his paycheck.
Woradon Yomyinda: Just playing devil’s advocate here—would you understand, from his point of view, that maybe he’s thinking, “You have to be on weight—it’s in the contract”?
Nick Hemmers: He is right about the weight. But for us, we are fighters; we play the fight game. We don`t play tennis, we are fighters.
Marat Grigorian: It`s the fight game, you know. We prepared for such a long time for this fight, only for 300 grams! It`s my fault, yes. But come on, 300 grams! And you don`t want to fight on this big event, on this big stage?
Woradon Yomyinda: Kaito got paid, but what about you?
Nick Hemmers: No, because we missed weight. When you miss weight, you have to talk with the opponent. If he agrees, we pay him a percentage of our purse. Understand what`s happening. So, I think Kaito was looking for an easy way not to fight him.
Woradon Yomyinda: Kaito actually missed the press conference earlier this week. Do you think that played any role in his decision or his team`s decision?
Nick Hemmers: I think they were scared from the beginning.
Marat Grigorian: You know he was scared. If he didn`t want to fight with me, he should have said so from the beginning, because I was also prepared for this fight. Mentally, physically, I left everything behind, prepared for this big event, and look what happened. So many disappointed fans here. Sorry for them, you know. But yeah, I`m very disappointed.
Nick Hemmers: Just to make clear, we missed weight; we are the ones that made the mistake initially. But there`s a big difference between two kilos and 340 grams. That`s nothing; that`s like going to the toilet once.
Woradon Yomyinda: Kaito has been saying for most of the year that he wants a rematch with Tyjani, the GLORY champion. He actually hasn’t talked about you as much compared to Tyjani. Do you think that might be part of the reason?
Nick Hemmers: But did you see what [Marat] did with Tyjani?
Marat Grigorian: I don`t want to fight against him, Kaito. I don`t want to give him a chance to fight against me. This was a good chance for him. So, onto the next one. I don`t want to give him this chance again.
Woradon Yomyinda: Let’s start with your next opportunity. Obviously, you didn’t get to fight this time, so now you’ll have to wait for another offer from ONE Championship. Who do you want to fight next? You mentioned it’s not Kaito—can you explain why?
Marat Grigorian: If Noiri was in [Kaito`s] position, he would take the fight for sure, because Noiri is a real fighter. I saw that. I know it. Noiri is a good, mentally stronger fighter. But in the eyes of Kaito, I don`t see the fighter mentality because for 300 grams, he just leaves the fight behind. Tawanchai or Noiri, it really doesn`t matter [who is next].
Nick Hemmers: We want to thank ONE Championship that we are here again. We can fight on the next event in one month, two months, or three months; he`s ready to go. This was a one-time slip-up in all these years. Marat has had a long career. He fought the best in the world in every country. He never missed weight, never. This is once, and it will never happen again.
Gareth Tenby