I think in the zip file, there is a file payload_properties.txt or something like that. In there, there is a property like verification_disable. Set it to 1 and it will skip the verification and force it.
I haven't tried this, and it might end up bricking, so you may lose your data. Therefore, backup your data and be prepared for the worst. Also, sometimes the OTA updates bring some minor bugs, and factory reset fixes that. In this case, jumping to a different variant firmware has bigger chances of bugs and hence the compulsion of a factory reset even in the case of sucess. So keep that in mind as well.