Double champ Roman Kryklia eyes ONE Championship return ‘as fast as possible’: “I’m ready”
Roman Kryklia hopes he's back inside the circle sooner rather than later. The Ukrainian bruiser added another body to his hit list at ONE Fight Night 30, brutally KO'ing British striker Lyndon Knowles in the evening's main event to retain the ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world championship.
It was Kryklia's first fight in 15 months, but there was no sign of ring rust from the two-sport ONE world champion. Speaking with the South China Morning Post following his seventh win in ONE, he expressed interest in making a quick turnaround after taking zero damage against Knowles inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium.
"Yeah, next time, I will come back in maybe 14 months," Kryklia said. "I don't know, but as fast as possible. I'm ready once again."
As for what comes next, Kryklia is certainly open to suggestions. Perhaps a scrap with another double champion—Anatoly Malykhin.
Could we see Roman Kryklia face 'Sladkiy' in an all-striking battle?
Smashing his way through both the heavyweight kickboxing and Muay Thai divisions, Roman Kryklia is ready for a greater challenge inside the circle.
When asked about a potential meeting with reigning ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titleholder Anatoly Malykhin, the Ukrainian said he'd be more than open to the idea, as long as it's a striking-only battle.
"We'll see. Let's discuss the rules. Because [he does] MMA. Only striking, I think will be easy for me, but maybe some special rules. It will be interesting for our audience, for fans, but I'm ready for everything."
It certainly would be the first time ONE Championship has done a striking-only fight. ONE Fight Night 14 saw ONE strawweight MMA queen Xiong Jing Nan go toe-to-toe with Nat 'Wondergirl' Jaroonsak in a special rules showdown that only allowed striking.
Would you tune in to see Roman Kryklia and Malykhin slug it out on martial arts' biggest global stage?
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 30 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.