Giorgio Petrosyan grew up in war-torn Armenia, pushing through each and every day with his family just to survive. That is what has turned “The Doctor” into one of the best kickboxers in the world today.

Petrosyan takes on Samy Sana in the finals of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix at ONE: Century Part 2 on Sunday, Oct. 13, 3019 from the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. The bout is on part two of the doubleheader.

The 33-year-old Petrosyan has over 100 professional kickboxing matches on his resume, but his drive to compete and become the best started back as a young child in Yerevan, Armenia.

“I was just a kid then and I remember doing chores around the house with my mother,” Petrosyan said. “We had no electricity and we would get just one hour of electricity a day. My brother would go out and get bread at six in the morning since there was a family that had some. We needed gas for heating, so we had no heat because we did not have any gas.

“Times were hard, but I have to say that my parents always provided for me and I think it was much harder on them because I was just a little boy. It felt normal for me, but my parents had it tough, and Armenia as a whole, because those were difficult times.”

Petrosyan and his family fled Armenia just as the war was coming to an end. He would make his kickboxing debut in 2003, winning his first nine bouts before a draw. In 2018, Petrosyan stepped inside the ONE ring for the first time, earning a decision over Jo Nattawut at ONE: Heroes of Honor. He has picked up three more wins under the ONE Championship banner.