“Adapting to Muay Thai with small gloves” - Roman Kryklia says legendary coach Andrei Gridin made Muay Thai transition easy 

The switch from kickboxing to Muay Thai has tripped up plenty of elite fighters, but not Roman Kryklia.

When you throw in elbows, clinch work, and four-ounce gloves into the mix, the transition can be a struggle for many fighters. Thankfully, Ukrainian powerhouse Kryklia has something most guys don't - his long-time coach, Andrei Gridin.

In an exclusive interview with ONE Championship, the ONE multi-division, multi-sport world champion credited his coach as his key to a smooth transition:

“As always, I trained under my longtime coach Andrei Gridin. This time we focused on adapting to Muay Thai with small gloves. That was the main theme.”

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“I feel strong and comfortable” - Ukrainian monster Roman Kryklia says shifting between two weight classes will never be an issue

Aside from jumping between sports, Roman Kryklia is bouncing between weight divisions too. It's nothing new for him. With his walk-around weight landing right in the middle of the light heavyweight and heavyweight limits, he's always fight-ready, no matter the weight on the contract.

Kryklia said:

“I plan to keep competing in both divisions — light heavyweight and heavyweight. In ONE, that means anything from just over 93 kg up to 120 kg. My walk-around weight puts me right in the middle, so I feel strong and comfortable fighting in either class.”

Jumping between sports and weight divisions is a skill that not many do as smoothly as Kryklia does. Kickboxing or Muay Thai, light heavyweight or heavyweight, he always shows up in peak form.

On April 4, we'll see him step back into heavyweight Muay Thai as he defends his crown from British challenger and promotional debutant Lyndon Knowles.

ONE Fight Night 30 is available live for fight fans in Canada and North America with an active Prime Video subscription.