“It’s the dream of every fighter” – Roman Kryklia on his quest to become a two-sport world champion

Ukrainian fighter Roman Kryklia has dreams of becoming a multi-tiered world champion. He is looking to realize that in his scheduled fight later this month.

The reigning ONE light heavyweight kickboxing world champion will try to add another championship title when he vies for the inaugural heavyweight Muay Thai world title at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video on December 8 in Bangkok, Thailand.

He will go up against ONE newcomer Alex Roberts of Australia in the event which boasts of an all-Muay Thai card.

Roman Kryklia is returning after more than a year since last seeing action in November 2022, where he won the ONE heavyweight kickboxing world grand prix title.

In an interview with onefc.com, the 32-year-old Gridin Gym standout shared the significance of winning at ONE Fight Night 17 and becoming a two-sport world champion, saying:

“To be a champion in two sports and in two divisions, I think it’s the dream of every fighter in the world.”

Roman Kryklia made his ONE debut in November 2019 after a highly successful career competing in various tournaments in Europe and Asia. He has been unstoppable in five fights to date in ONE, punctuated by winning the inaugural ONE light heavyweight kickboxing world title in his maiden outing.

Out to crash his unbeaten run is Alex Roberts, 34, who, while making his promotional debut, is no stranger to world title fights, having recently won the WBC heavyweight Muay Thai world title.

ONE Fight Night 17 will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will air live on US primetime free of charge for those with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription in North America.

---

MMA legend Demetrious Johnson impressed with skills of Roman Kryklia

American MMA legend Demetrious Johnson is impressed with towering Ukrainian champion Roman Kryklia. In particular, he cited the 6-foot-6 fighter’s combination of size, agility and power, likening him to a superhero.

‘Mighty Mouse’ shared this in an interview with Joe Rogan on his podcast last year, saying:

"There’s a kickboxer in ONE. He’s f**king massive and he’s got a f**king six-pack, he’s got good pecs, he looks like a superhero, and he’s like bop, bop, bop, high kick, uppercut, right hand. I was like ‘Oh my God, this is amazing!’ That’s one of the things I love about ONE Championship is you get the purest form of the martial art."

Roman Kryklia has won his last 13 professional fights, including five straight in ONE Championship.