“It certainly was to my advantage” – Roman Kryklia says fighting Muay Thai in four-ounce gloves suits his skill set best

Ukrainian juggernaut Roman Kryklia knew transitioning to Muay Thai for his most recent match would not be much of a problem, seeing how the martial art also suited his skill set.

The 32-year-old kickboxer made history by becoming a two-sport ONE world champion at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video on December 8 in Bangkok, Thailand.

There he knocked out Alex Roberts of Australia to claim the inaugural ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world title and add it to the light heavyweight kickboxing gold long in his possession.

Speaking to the media after his historic victory, Roman Kryklia shared how fighting in Muay Thai, which uses four-ounce gloves in ONE instead of 10-ounce ones in kickboxing, actually worked well for him on fight night as it enhanced his inherent speed advantage over his opponent.

The Krasnograd native said:

“It was a little bit unexpectable [but] it certainly was to my advantage because I like to use my speed, I like to use punches from a distance.”

Check out what he had to say:

Speed surely played a key role in Roman Kryklia fulfilling his date with history at ONE Fight Night 17.

He bucked a spirited challenge from Alex Roberts in the opening round of their title clash before turning to a quick draw in the second round, landing a well-timed left hook to the jaw of his opponent 25 seconds into the frame to claim the victory.

For the KO win, Roman Kryklia also earned a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 17 is available free on demand for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Roman Kryklia now eyeing a third world title

Roman Kryklia is out to continue collecting hardware even after claiming his second ONE world title last week. He is now eyeing a third championship belt, particularly the still-to-be offered heavyweight kickboxing title.

The Champs Belt standout was the latest addition to the roster of two-sport ONE world champions by winning the inaugural heavyweight Muay Thai world title on December 8 at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video in Thailand.

He knocked out Australian Alex Roberts in the second round of their title clash to win the Muay Thai gold and add it to the light heavyweight kickboxing title he already had.

Following his historic win, Roman Kryklia shared to the media that he is not about done with his title-conquering ways, now on the lookout for a third championship belt.

He, in particular, wants to win the heavyweight kickboxing world title when it is finally offered by the promotion, more so since he won the ONE heavyweight kickboxing world grand prix title last year.

Kryklia said:

“I want to defend my light heavyweight kickboxing title. But, it'll be more interesting for me to get the heavyweight belt in kickboxing because I'm the champion of the Grand Prix heavyweight division. I want the new belt and I'm waiting.”

In winning the ONE heavyweight kickboxing world grand prix in November 2022, Kryklia defeated Iranian Iraj Azizpour by technical knockout in the second round.