Kirill Grishenko ready to shut down Ben Tynan: “It’s a great opportunity”

Kirill Grishenko has nothing but respect for Ben Tynan, but that won’t stop him from destroying his record. The former title challenger believes his experience will prove decisive in Bangkok, Thailand.

He meets the undefeated Canadian at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video on Friday, August 1, inside Lumpinee Stadium. The Belarusian enters on a two-bout winning streak, and victory would see him take another step toward a shot at the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title.

Grishenko has made a big impact since joining ONE Championship. In his promotional debut, he gave future champion Oumar Kane his first career loss in April 2021.

He also challenged reigning king Anatoly Malykhin for the vacant interim heavyweight title in February 2022. Though he fell to the Russian, Grishenko rebuilt his game.

Meanwhile, things continue to get interesting at the top with Kane having captured the belt from Malykhin. Their rematch is scheduled for November 16.

Subsequently, that creates opportunities for contenders like Grishenko, who believes a dominant performance against Tynan could position him for another title shot.

“Everything I want and work toward is that ONE belt. A win over Ben gets me closer to that goal,” he said.

“Is Ben on the level of Anatoly and ‘Reug Reug?’ Absolutely.”

Kirill Grishenko breaks down his game plan against Tynan

Kirill Grishenko has been preparing for the tactical challenge Ben Tynan presents. The Canadian qualified for NCAA Division I National Championships and translated that to a perfect 5-0 professional MMA record.

Tynan displayed his grappling skills by submitting striker Kang Ji Won in his promotional debut. The Canadian has finished every opponent while adding firepower to his boxing arsenal.

However, Tynan remains a wrestler first, setting up a fascinating Greco-Roman versus freestyle wrestling battle. Grishenko’s confidence in his striking gives him multiple paths to victory.

Furthermore, years of competing at the highest level have given Grishenko complete faith in his ability to dictate where this fight takes place.

“Yeah, we’re both wrestlers, but we come from different styles. It all comes down to who’s better at adapting wrestling to striking,” he said.

“I can box and kick.”