“Chingiz Allazov and I won all the best belts” – Roman Kryklia explains the inspiration behind the name of his new gym in Dubai

Hours away from his shot at two-sport supremacy, reigning ONE light-heavyweight kickboxing world champion Roman Kryklia also has big things primed outside the ring.

This Friday at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video, the Ukrainian powerhouse will square off with promotional debutant Alex 'The Viking' Roberts for the inaugural ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world title.

While Krylia has spent the weeks in the depths of his intense training camp, also made time to open his new state-of-the-art gym located in the marvelous city of Dubai.

Named "Champ Belts by Gridin", the facility is the product of months' worth of planning and construction. The gym also houses his fellow world champion, ONE featherweight kickboxing king Chingiz Allazov.

On his new gym, Roman Kryklia told ONE:

"Chingiz [Allazov] and I have won all the best belts in the world of kickboxing so far. It is reflected in the name. We added 'by Gridin' for people to understand who is behind the project."

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Roman Kryklia sees Dubai as his new fighting home

In the same interview, Roman Kryklia also shed light on his plans for his new gym and how the rich city of Dubai plays a big role in his fighting future:

“Dubai is now a very promising city, a center where everyone is flocking to. It offers a great deal of opportunities for development in all areas of business. Now, we will be based mostly here. It will be our training base for future fights.”

Dubai and largely the Middle East have become a hub of martial arts and MMA in the past decade or so. Multiple fight organizations have conducted events and even found their stomping grounds in places like Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

It's definitely a smart move for Roman Kryklia to build a facility in Dubai and have his fight camps there - especially that ONE Championship has huge plans in the Middle East next year.

Catch ONE Fight Night 17 as it airs live on US Primetime free of charge for those with a Prime Video subscription in the United States and Canada.