The 3 biggest storylines heading into ONE Fight Night 17

When ONE Championship returns to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for ONE Fight Night 17 this week, striking fans will be in for an absolute fiesta from bottom to top.

Broadcasting live in U.S. primetime on Friday, December 8, the massive bill will be headlined by the crowning of a new divisional king when Roman Kryklia and Alex Roberts trade leather for the ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world title.

The rest of the card will be just as exciting as plenty of up-and-coming stars and veterans are ready to leave their mark on the grandest stage of combat sports.

There are plenty of reasons to tune in to this striking-only bill – but here are three of the biggest storylines as we head into another fierce night of fights as ONE Fight Night 17 draws near.

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#3 Can Saemapetch and Menshikov work their way to another shot at gold at ONE Fight Night 17?

Before the two headline attractions of ONE Fight Night 17 explode inside the revered venue, Saemapetch Fairtex and Dmitry Menshikov should treat fans to a couple of firecracker performances as they aim to inch closer to another date at ONE gold.

Saemapetch meets Algerian debutant Mohamed Younes Rabah, knowing another victory could potentially see him scale closer to the top of the bantamweight Muay Thai chart.

The No.3-ranked contender dropped his two-match winning streak against Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 9 this year but bounced back with a first-round KO of Kaonar Sor Jor Thongprajin at ONE Friday Fights 30.

With bantamweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty still in search of an opponent, a victory for Saemapetch at ONE Fight Night 17 could have major implications for another run at 26 pounds of gold.

It’s the same story for Menshikov, who fell short in his lightweight Muay Thai world title assignment to Regian Eersel in just 46 seconds. He returned with plenty of fire two months later and wrapped up his sophomore appearance with a statement finish at ONE Fight Night 14 this past September.

Should he secure another finish against Morocco-Spain representative Mouhcine Chafi at ONE Fight Night 17, it could be time for him to run it back with Eersel.

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#2 Will Rodtang’s next contender emerge from ONE Fight Night 17?

Menshikov and Saemapetch won’t be the only ones aiming for the top as ONE Fight Night 17 will play host to three pivotal flyweight Muay Thai bouts that could unearth Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s next test as the flyweight Muay Thai king.

Vietnamese sensation Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat faces Denis Puric in what could be an intense striking clinic, given both men’s appetite for destruction every time they step onto the global stage of ONE.

Meanwhile, former world title challenger Edgar Tabares goes head-to-head with Malaysian-American upstart Johan Ghazali in a battle of technicality versus power.

The former, Mexico’s first WBC Muay Thai international champion, is keen to capture his first victory inside the Circle. On the flip side, Ghazali, who finished three opponents at ONE Friday Fights, remains hell-bent on a triumph in his American primetime debut at ONE Fight Night 17.

Last but not least, Brazilian slugger Walter Goncalves and Jacob Smith lock horns with one eye on a chance for a rematch versus Rodtang for his coveted divisional gold.

As such, a victory could set either victor on a collision course or a date with ‘The Iron Man’ sometime in the future.

As of now, though, the Jitmuangnon Gym fighter will have his hands busy when he takes on debuting superstar Takeru Segawa at ONE 165 in a five-round flyweight kickboxing superfight on January 28 next year.

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#1 Can Roman Kryklia complete two-sport domination at ONE Fight Night 17?

Roman Kryklia has scaled to the top of two mountains in ONE Championship, yet the 6-foot-7 giant from Ukraine is keen to ascend to the pinnacle of another division in a separate sport when he headlines ONE Fight Night 17 this week.

The 32-year-old Gridin Gym representative faces Alex Roberts with the inaugural ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world title on the line, and he is ready to turn heads on his way to another special moment on the global stage.

As a certified knockout artist with a gallery of devastating highlight-reel finishes, it’s safe to say that his bread and butter will be another hot topic as fight night draws near. But the other burning question on everyone’s lips is whether or not he can switch back to Muay Thai with similar success.

From a power perspective, dropping into 4-ounce gloves will sound like hell for the man standing across from him. But with Roberts being the more active of the two under ‘The Art of Eight Limbs’ rules, Kryklia will not have an easy assignment by any means at ONE Fight Night 17.

As such, the striking-only card will prove why the promotion truly is home to the best strikers across martial arts when it emanates from the Mecca of Muay Thai this Friday, December 8.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 17 card live and for free in U.S. primetime this Friday, December 8.