ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong did not hold back in voicing his dissatisfaction with Kaito Ono after Kaito declined to fight Marat Grigorian. This refusal has seemingly put Kaito`s ONE career off to a difficult start.
The scheduled opponent, Armenian-Belgian fighter Marat Grigorian, reportedly missed the initial hydration test period but was hydrated later, weighing in merely 0.75 lbs (approximately 0.34 kg) over the agreed 155 lbs (approximately 70.3 kg) limit.
Sityodtong commented pointedly on the situation during the post-fight press conference, stating, “When a fighter wants to fight, they will fight. When a fighter is afraid of his opponent, he will find a reason not to fight… He had the chance to fight, but declined… If the weight differential was very big, then I agree, but in this case it was literally less than half a pound. Like I said, when a fighter wants to fight, they will fight. When a fighter is scared, they find every reason not to fight. I`ve been in this business a long time, I`ve seen it every time.”
Chatri confirmed that Ono received full payment despite the fight not happening but stressed his view that the payment was not deserved. He added, expressing his strong disappointment, “I think Kaito should fight in smaller promotions.”
Regardless of one`s perspective, this public display of tension is not a positive sign for Kaito`s future within ONE Championship. The Shoot Boxing champion remains active in Japan and has voiced aspirations for a rematch against Tyjani Beztati. However, achieving this within ONE seems ambitious, particularly after GLORY recently dissolved its lightweight division in favor of other tournament formats.
A clear victory under the ONE banner could have significantly boosted his standing and potentially moved him closer to challenging the division`s top competitors, a goal Kaito has frequently mentioned.
Jack Thornley 
Oliver Croft