‘There’s Still More To Show’ – Roman Kryklia Details Plans For Continued Two-Sport Domination

Two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion Roman Kryklia is undeniably one of the planet’s best pound-for-pound strikers, but he says the best is yet to come.

He’ll soon return to action, as he’s set to defend his ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai World Title against hard-hitting Brit Lyndon Knowles on April 4 live in U.S. primetime in the main event of ONE Fight Night 30 on Prime Video.

That bout will go down at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium and will be Kryklia’s chance to extend his unbeaten streak in ONE and further his case as an all-time great.

The towering Ukrainian has been practically untouchable in the world’s largest martial arts organization, having won the ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title and the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix to go along with his Muay Thai gold.

Even with that lengthy list of accomplishments to his name, Kryklia believes he’s just getting started. When he returns from a lengthy break to battle Knowles at ONE Fight Night 30, he plans to showcase an improved version of himself — a terrifying proposition for any future opponents.

Kryklia told onefc.com:

“I don’t think I’ve peaked yet. I’ve grown a lot during my time away from the ring, and I’m confident there’s still more to show.

“Being a double champ doesn’t slow me down. My motivation is simple—I want to give fans as many exciting, memorable fights as possible over the next few years.”

The 33-year-old has already reached the pinnacle of both kickboxing and Muay Thai across two weight divisions, but he has no intention of riding off into the sunset.

Quite the opposite, he hopes to continue competing in both sports and in both weight classes for years to come:

“I’d love to step back into kickboxing. I want to alternate between Muay Thai and kickboxing for a while.

“I plan to keep competing in both divisions — light heavyweight and heavyweight. In ONE, that means anything from just over 93 kg up to 120 kg. My walk-around weight puts me right in the middle, so I feel strong and comfortable fighting in either class.”

Kryklia said that the key to his sustained success at the highest level of striking is his unbreakable mindset.

Many fighters in his position might find themselves underestimating their opponents and buying into their own hype. But that’s not a mistake Kryklia has made yet, and as he prepares for the first defense of his heavyweight Muay Thai crown, he’s treating it like the most important fight of his career:

“I take every opponent seriously. I always prepare as if I’m facing the toughest fight of my life, and that mindset never changes. You can’t predict how things will go in this game, which is what makes it special.”

Krylia Aims To Elevate Heavyweight Division, Ukraine

Roman Kryklia plans to continue his incredible run of dominance in the striking world not only for himself but also to elevate the sport’s heaviest weight classes.

Most of kickboxing and Muay Thai’s biggest superstars — like Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon, Jonathan “The General” Haggerty, and Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa — compete at bantamweight or lower.

Kryklia, with his electrifying style of striking and penchant for finding the knockout, wants to bring some of that buzz back to the heavyweight division:

“It’s something I care about a lot. Right now, especially in Asia, the spotlight is mostly on the lighter weight classes. I want to help bring some of that attention back to heavyweight. My goal is to make this division exciting again and elevate its profile with every fight.”

What’s more, the two-sport titleholder knows that his sustained success in the world’s largest martial arts organization will also bring some positive attention to his home country of Ukraine.

He couldn’t be prouder, said Kryklia, to represent his country on the global stage:

“It’s something I’m deeply proud of. Not many Ukrainian fighters make it to the highest level in Muay Thai or kickboxing, even though both sports are popular back home. To compete on the world’s biggest stages and represent my country, it means a lot.”