"It's not a problem for me" - Murat Aygun embraces underdog role against Roman Kryklia

Murat Aygun will challenge Roman Kryklia for the ONE light heavyweight kickboxing world title at ONE: Full Circle on February 25. Aygun is the underdog going into the bout, which is something he has taken in his stride.

‘The Butcher’ comes in with a kickboxing record of 18-1, which pales in comparison to the experience of the world champion’s 45-7 record. In a recent interview, Aygun shared that he understands the challenge he is up against. During an interview with ONE Championship, he said:

“I feel like I'm the underdog but I was always the underdog. And it's not a problem for me.”

Kryklia has not lost since 2015 and earned his world title through a couple of dominant performances in the Circle. Physically, he stands seven centimeters taller than Aygun, which could be a huge advantage in a kickboxing match.

However, Aygun says that he doesn’t concern himself with the achievements or physical advantages that his opponent may have. He added:

“The height difference is not important for me. Who I won [over] or if I win, you know, I fight for the win. And every win for me is an experience.”

Winning is something that Aygun has a lot of experience with. His only loss came because of a doctor’s stoppage for a cut in a fight that he was controlling for the most part. Heading into his bout with Kryklia, the 33-year-old seems confident that he will continue winning.

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Murat Aygun focused on doing his usual thing

Some fighters tend to visualize how to finish a fight, but Murat Aygun is not concerned with how it will end with Roman Kryklia. The Dutch-Turkish fighter is always focused on winning the match and says he will take it no matter how it comes.

He said:

“I'm not usually like that or something. You know, I'm only focused on my fight. You know, I'm not saying I'm going to knock him out or I'm going to do it like that or like this, I am going to do what I always do.”

Murat Aygun has six knockouts to his name, which proves that he’s a fighter who goes for the finish if available. Throughout his seven-year career, the SB Gym product has won multiple world titles in various organizations. Adding the ONE light heavyweight kickboxing world title to his collection will be his most prestigious prize yet. He added:

“The belt means everything to me. Because I have many belts but this is the one from the greatest organization and this is what I want.”

Find out who goes home with the world title on Friday at ONE: Full Circle.