Giorgio Petrosyan facts for kids

Gevorg "Giorgio" Petrosyan (Armenian: Գևորգ Պետրոսյան; born December 10, 1985) is a very famous Armenian-Italian kickboxer. He is known as "The Doctor" because of his amazing skills and smart fighting style. He is great at defending himself and has beaten many top fighters. Many people think he is one of the best kickboxers ever.

Giorgio moved to Italy from Armenia when he was thirteen. He started his professional fighting career at sixteen, first in Muay Thai. He began in lighter weight classes and then moved up to the middleweight division. He won many titles along the way. He had an incredible winning streak of forty-two fights over six years. This streak was one of the longest in the sport's history.

He later switched to kickboxing rules in 2008. He quickly became the world's best middleweight fighter. He won the K-1 World MAX World Championship Tournament twice in a row. He then joined Glory in 2012 and won the Glory 2012 Lightweight Slam tournament.

Early Life and Training

Giorgio Petrosyan was born in Yerevan, which is now in Armenia, on December 10, 1985. When he was thirteen, he moved to Italy with his father and older brother. They arrived in the country without official papers. At first, they were homeless in Milan, sleeping in train stations. Later, a kind family in Gorizia helped them. They offered them work and a place to live. His mother, sister, and younger brother, Armen, also joined them. Armen is also a world champion kickboxer.

Giorgio was inspired by martial arts movies starring Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme. He decided to start training in Muay Thai when he was fourteen. He was first told he was too small, but he kept trying. He eventually began training under Alfio Romanut. He had his first fight at sixteen. Giorgio still lives in Gorizia in Northern Italy. Early in his career, he worked as a bricklayer.

Kickboxing Career Highlights

Starting Out in Muay Thai (2002–2006)

Giorgio Petrosyan started fighting at sixteen years old. His first fight was in February 2002, and he won. For the next five years, he mostly fought under Muay Thai rules. Muay Thai is a martial art from Thailand that uses fists, elbows, knees, and shins.

In November 2003, he won his first title, becoming the MTA Italian national champion. He kept moving up in weight and skill. In 2004, he won the MTA European Championship. He also won the WMC Intercontinental Welterweight Championship in 2005. He even trained in Thailand for a while.

In 2006, Giorgio became a world champion for the first time. He won the Kombat League World Muay Thai Championship. He defended this title three times that year. He then moved up to the middleweight division. He won the Janus Fight Night 2006 tournament in December 2006. This showed he was ready to dominate this new weight class.

First Loss and Big Breakthrough (2007–2008)

In January 2007, Giorgio fought at the famous Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. This was his first loss, but it was under unusual circumstances. He said he had to drink extra water before the fight, which made him feel sick.

He quickly bounced back with two wins. Then, he had a big fight against Buakaw Por. Pramuk, a very famous fighter. The fight ended in a draw, so Buakaw kept his title. Giorgio then beat Abdallah Mabel twice. He also won the Janus Fight Night 2007 tournament again.

In early 2008, Giorgio started fighting under Oriental rules kickboxing. This style focuses more on punches and kicks, without elbows or clinching. He joined the It's Showtime organization. He also started fighting in K-1, which is a major kickboxing league. He won several fights, showing he was a rising star.

Winning K-1 World MAX Championships (2009–2010)

In 2009, Giorgio won the WKN Intercontinental Welterweight Championship. He then had a big win against Andy Souwer, a two-time K-1 MAX champion. This win showed everyone he was a top fighter.

Because of his impressive record, Giorgio was invited to the K-1 World MAX Tournament. He won his first fight against Dzhabar Askerov. He then beat Albert Kraus, another former K-1 MAX champion. In the semi-finals, he defeated Yuya Yamamoto, even though he broke his hand during the fight. Despite his injury, he went on to face Andy Souwer again in the final. Giorgio dominated the fight and won the K-1 World MAX Tournament Championship. This was a huge achievement.

In 2010, Giorgio defended his WKN title. He then entered the K-1 World MAX 2010 Tournament. He won against Vitaly Gurkov, Albert Kraus, and Mike Zambidis. In the final, he faced Yoshihiro Sato. Giorgio won by unanimous decision, becoming the K-1 World MAX champion for the second year in a row. He was the only fighter to ever defend a K-1 MAX title. He broke his hand again during this tournament.

Injuries and New Organizations (2011–2012)

After his K-1 wins, Giorgio continued to fight. He beat Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee and Cosmo Alexandre. In one fight, his opponent couldn't continue after an accidental low kick, so it was ruled a "no contest." He also broke his hand for the fourth time in a fight against Hinata.

Due to financial problems with K-1, Giorgio left his management team in 2012. He then fought independently in Italy. He beat Abraham Roqueñi and Artur Kyshenko, showing he was still a top fighter.

Dominating in Glory (2012–2015)

Giorgio signed with the new Glory organization in 2012. He entered the Glory 2012 Lightweight Slam tournament. He won his first fight against Fabio Pinca. In the quarter-finals, he won when his opponent, Ky Hollenbeck, got injured. He then beat Davit Kiria in the semi-finals. In the final, he faced Robin van Roosmalen. Giorgio won by unanimous decision, winning his third major tournament.

In March 2013, he had a very aggressive fight against Ole Laursen, knocking him out with a high kick. He also easily beat Hafid El Boustati in April 2013.

However, in November 2013, Giorgio suffered his first knockout loss. He was beaten by Andy Ristie in the Glory 12 tournament semi-finals. This ended his amazing six-year, forty-two-fight undefeated streak. Giorgio later said he had broken his hand early in that fight.

After this, he continued to fight and win. He won the W5 71 kg world title in 2017. He also won the ISKA Super Welterweight K-1 Rules World Championship in October 2017. In July 2018, he defeated Chingiz Allazov by unanimous decision.

Success in ONE Championship (Since 2018)

In April 2018, Giorgio joined ONE Championship, a big martial arts organization. He won his first fight there against Jo Nattawut. He then beat Sorgraw Petchyindee Academy in November 2018.

In 2019, he defended his ISKA title again. He also joined the ONE Super Series Kickboxing Featherweight Grand Prix. He had a controversial fight against Phetmorakot Petchyindee Academy that was first a loss, then changed to a "no contest." In the rematch, Giorgio won. He then knocked out Jo Nattawut in the semi-finals.

In October 2019, Giorgio faced Samy Sana in the Grand Prix Final. He won by unanimous decision, becoming the first ONE Kickboxing Featherweight World Grand Prix Champion. He also won a large cash prize.

In February 2021, Giorgio beat Davit Kiria again. In October 2021, he fought Superbon Banchamek for the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship. Giorgio lost by knockout in the second round, which was only his second knockout loss ever. He also broke his jaw in that fight.

After recovering, Giorgio continued to fight. In April 2022, he won by TKO against Fatih Aydin. Most recently, in May 2024, he challenged and won the WAKO Pro K-1 World Super Welterweight Championship against Sergio Sanchez. He has successfully defended this title twice since then.

Championships and Awards

Giorgio Petrosyan has won many championships and awards throughout his career:

• World Association of Kickboxing Organizations
  • 2024 WAKO Pro K-1 World Super Welterweight (69.1 kg) Championship
    • Two successful title defenses
• ONE Championship
  • 2019 ONE Kickboxing Featherweight World Grand Prix Champion
• World version W5
  • 2017 W5 World -71 kg Champion
• Glory
  • 2012 70kg Slam Tournament Championship
• Hero Legends
  • 2015 Hero Legends -70 kg Championship
• International Sport Karate Association
  • 2017 ISKA K-1 World Super Welterweight (-70 kg/154 lb) Championship
    • Two successful title defenses
• Italian Extreme
  • Italian Extreme IV Tournament Championship
• Janus Fight Night
  • JFN 2006 −72 kg/158 lb Tournament Championship
  • JFN 2007 −72 kg/158 lb Tournament Championship
• K-1
  • K-1 World MAX 2009 World Championship Tournament (-70 kg/154 lb) Championship
  • K-1 World MAX 2010 World Championship Tournament (-70 kg/154 lb) Championship
• Kombat League
  • KL World -66.7 kg/147 lb Muay Thai Championship (One time)
    • Three successful title defenses
• Italian Muay Thai Association
  • MTA Italian Championship (One time)
  • MTA European -65 kg/143 lb Championship (One time)
    • One successful title defense
• World Kickboxing Network
  • 2009 WKN Intercontinental Welterweight (-69.9 kg/154 lb) Oriental Championship (One time)
    • One successful title defense
• World Muaythai Council
  • 2005 WMC Intercontinental Welterweight (-66.7 kg/147 lb) Championship (One time)

Awards

• LiverKick.com
  • 2012 Fighter of the Year
• BloodyElbow.com
  • 2011 Kickboxer of the Year

See also

In Spanish: Giorgio Petrosyan para niños

• List of male kickboxers
• List of K-1 events