Spoiler: Marat Grigorian vs. Serhiy Adamchuk

Due to some last-minute changes to the GLORY 22 FRANCE card, Adamchuk was brought in on 24 hours notice to face Grigorian, a top lightweight contender who is looking to get busy and take a run at the title after being away from the GLORY ring for a year.

Fighting out of Mike’s Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Adamchuk arrived in Lille, France looking fit and in good condition. But with a weight cut he can fight at featherweight (65kgs/145lbs) and with this fight taking place at lightweight (154lbs/70kgs), he was noticeably undersized.

Still, he has a reputation for being fearless and that was evident immediately as he came straight forward and put a hard combination on Grigorian. Adamchuk let him know that he was by no means here just to be an opponent and fill and empty space. The fact he fights southpaw also made for a last-minute complication for Grigorian.

This made for a tricky fight for the Belgian-Armenian. On the one hand he had the advantage of a full training camp. On the other, he was facing an unknown quantity who also fights southpaw. Grigorian has fierce power for a lightweight but was at times perhaps a little foxed by Adamchuk, who added an extra layer of frustration for him by diving into a clinch when he felt threatened or needed to escape a corner.

Most of the fight had Grigorian walking Adamchuk down as the Ukrainian looked for counters and, surprising, Grigorian was often getting the worst of it, Adamchuk landing and scoring points then leaving Grigorian punching at air as he ducked and wheeled out of harm’s way. The frustration was evident on Grigorian’s face as he swarmed in the final minute of the final rund but he couldn’t find the shots he needed.

All three judges saw the fight the same way, scoring the fight a unanimous decision win for Adamchuk in one of the biggest upsets of this year in kickboxing.

“I only learned about this fight yesterday. I know Marat is very tough but I wanted to take the challenge. I weighed only 69 kilograms for this fight so it was a bit of an experiment for me fighting a guy who is a 70 kilogram fighter but I am tough and I fight until the end,” he said afterwards.

“I hope the GLORY guys liked my fight and I can get another chance. But normally I fight at 65 kilograms and I think this is better for me. I have more power at that weight. So we see what comes next.

Serhiy Adamchuk def. Marat Grigorian by Unanimous Decision, R3 (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)