5 Things You Might Not Know About Roman Kryklia

Roman Kryklia stands on the precipice of history in One Championship.

The Ukrainian kickboxer will seek to become a two-discipline titleholder in the Chatri Sityodtong-founded promotion when he faces Alex Roberts for the inaugural ONE heavyweight muay thai championship in the ONE on Prime Video 17 headliner this Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Kryklia, who has held the One Championship light heavyweight kickboxing title since 2019, enters the ring with 49-7 record that includes 28 wins by knockout. He last competed at ONE 163, where he punched out Iraj Azizpour in the second round of their Nov. 19, 2022 rematch to win the One Championship Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix.

As Kryklia makes final plans for his forthcoming showdown with Roberts, here are four things you might not know about him:

1. His roots can be found in Eastern European soil.

Kryklia was born on Oct. 11, 1991 in Krasnohrad, Ukraine, a city of roughly 20,000 people situated in the eastern quadrant of the war-torn country. It sits on the banks of the Berestova River, some 265 miles to the southeast of the capital of Kiev.

2. He chooses his associates wisely.

The 32-year-old operates out of the Gridin Gym in Minsk, Belarus. It was founded by coach Andrei Gridin and Chingiz Allazov, the decorated Georgian kickboxer who has won titles in K-1 and One Championship. Igor Bugaenko, Yuri Bessmertny, Vadim Vaskov, Zhora Akopyan, Oleg Likhtarovich and Dmitry Asanov are among the others who have called the gym home.

3. Setbacks have been few and far between.

Kryklia owns a perfect 5-0 record in One Championship, though all five of those bouts have been contested under kickboxing rules. He has not tasted defeat since he lost a decision to Iran’s Azizpour in the final of a Kunlan Fight tournament on Feb. 4, 2018—2,133 days ago.

4. Physical tools often give him a leg up on the competition.

“Spider-Man” stands 6-foot-6 and wields an 83½-inch wingspan. Kryklia will have a discernible edge in both height and reach against Australia’s Roberts.

5. Inhuman durability has marked his rise.

Kryklia has never been knocked out in 57 career appearances as a kickboxer. All seven of his losses have resulted in decisions.