The anticipation is at an all-time high as Lyndon Knowles counts down the hours to his promotional debut and ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world title contest at ONE Fight Night 30 this evening.
But while he's itching to step into the circle, he's keeping a wary eye out on his opponent - ONE light heavyweight kickboxing and heavyweight Muay Thai world champion Roman Kryklia:
"I won't let him do what he normally does, and that's finish people," Knowles told the Bangkok Post's Nick Atkin. "I'm gonna have to be the one who does the finishing."
Kryklia is a known executioner - a human wrecking ball with an 83 percent promotional finish rate, and he's made a habit of steamrolling his opposition. But while others might only hope to survive an encounter with the juggernaut, Lyndon Knowles is walking in looking to reverse the situation on the knockout artist.
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Watch the full media day coverage below:
“I wanted to be the king of the show” - Lyndon Knowles ready to realize lifelong dream in world title opportunity vs. Roman Kryklia
The road has been long for Lyndon Knowles. Twenty years and several fights of various outcomes. Through it all, one dream: to stand at the very top.
Now that the UK veteran has his chance to stand upon the biggest martial arts stage in the world, he's not wasting the opportunity to keep all eyes on him.
If all goes to plan, he'll not only show the world what he's made of, but also end the night with 26 pounds of gold around his waist:
"You always want to be at the best, to be at the pinnacle in ONE Championship, certainly that," Knowles said. "So I've been thinking about it for 20 years. Because when I started, that's what I wanted to be. I wanted to be the king of the show, and now it's my time to show it."
Stream ONE Fight Night 30 live with an active Prime Video subscription at 8 PM EST tonight.