“I'm respectful and thankful to him” - Roman Kryklia says all is good between him and challenger Lyndon Knowles
ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world champion Roman Kryklia dominated challenger Lyndon Knowles in their title showdown last week. However, when the battle smoke cleared, he has nothing but respect for the fighter from the United Kingdom.
The Ukrainian juggernaut moved to highlight it in an interview with the Bangkok Post following his opening-round knockout of Knowles at ONE Fight Night 30 on April 4 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, to retain his Muay Thai gold,
Roman Kryklia said:
"Yeah, sure. I spoke with him. I'm sorry for such damage to him. But now he's okay. We hugged, we took photos together, and I'm respectful and thankful to him that he shared the ring with me."
Watch the interview below:
At ONE Fight Night 30, Kryklia hardly broke a sweat, dominant right from the get-go. He sent Knowles to the mat with a nasty left hook in the final minute of the first round. While the challenger beat the count, he was sent crashing down again seconds later with a solid straight to signal the end of the contest.
The win at ONE Fight Night 30 was the first successful defense of Kryklia of the Muay Thai world title he won in December 2023.
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Roman Kryklia grateful for support from teammate Chingiz Allazov
Roman Kryklia had a familiar face in his corner at ONE Fight Night 30 in former featherweight kickboxing world champion Chingiz Allazov. He said they have developed a special bond as teammates which he is grateful for.
He spoke about it in an interview with the South China Morning Post following his victory last week, citing the support he has gotten from 'Chinga'.
Kryklia said:
"He's my best fighting friend. We understand each other very strongly. And you know, you can know everything about you, about training sessions, but it's very important to hear someone from the side and some advice from other people."
Allazov was a force in ONE Championship's featherweight kickboxing lane for three years until he decided to step away from the game last year.