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“This fight is for you,” Gorobets fights for Ukraine at ONE: LIGHTS OUT
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Martin Nguyen (left) faced off against Kiril Gorobets during ONE: LIGHTS OUT official weigh-in on Thursday. (ONE Championship)
Ukrainian fighter Kirill Gorobets is fighting for more than just personal glory at ONE: LIGHTS OUT on Friday, March 11.
The featherweight mixed martial artist will make his debut on ONE Championship’s global stage against former two division world champion Martin Nguyen, and he plans to use his voice for a noble cause.
“I want the people of Ukraine to await my victory. This fight is for you. To my people and family, I am with you. Glory to Ukraine and glory to the heroes,” said Gorobets while sporting a shirt that read “NO WAR IN UKRAINE”.
For the 28-year-old fighter, nothing is more important than seeing peace return to his homeland. He wants to display his best skills against Nguyen to get his hand raised – and ultimately drive more attention to his message.
Gorobets, who holds a 11-1 record in professional mixed martial arts (MMA) with eight finishes, is a force to be reckoned with in his new promotional home. His record speaks for itself as the Ukrainian is equally dangerous on his feet as well as on the ground.
So far, he has scored five knockouts (KOs) and technical knockouts (TKOs) and three submissions wins. His only loss was in 2015 when he was still a newcomer to the all-encompassing sport.
While he aims to make a mark in his first ever appearance on the global stage, his opponent boasts more experience and explosiveness. The Vietnamese-Australian achieved a rare feat in 2017 when he concurrently held the lightweight and featherweight world titles.
Nguyen is an equally feared striker with nine KO wins under his belt out of the 13 wins he has secured in his professional career. On top of that, the former champion is on a two-fight losing skid and aims to get back to the winning column this Friday.
The winner of this battle of two explosive strikers might become the next challenger for the featherweight king, and at the main event of the ONE: LIGHTS OUT, they could witness who will come on top in the division.
ONE featherweight world champion and knockout artist Thanh Le is putting his belt on the line against undefeated challenger Garry Tonon, who has amassed six consecutive victories since transitioning from BJJ.
In the co-main event, ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes will face fellow Brazilian John Lineker in another classic battle between a striker and a grappler.
Watch ONE: LIGHTS OUT on March 11 on the ONE Super App and subscribe to ONE Championship on YouTube!
This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship
