Roman Kryklia Relives Historic World Title Victory

ONE Light Heavyweight World Champion Roman Kryklia

Roman Kryklia earned the biggest win of his eight-year professional kickboxing career on Saturday, 16 November.

The Ukrainian colossus defeated his longtime rival, Tarik “The Tank” Khbabez, in the co-main event of ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS in Beijing, China to become the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion.

Kryklia, who lost to the Dutch-Moroccan powerhouse in their initial encounter via decision four years ago, earned a big slice of redemption in his ONE Championship debut. He knocked out Khbabez in the second round of their rematch to claim the richest prize in his sport.

Now, a month removed from his historic victory, the 28-year-old talks about beating “The Tank” in their long-awaited rematch. The Ukrainian also reflects on his incredible 2019, and he speaks on his goals in The Home Of Martial Arts.

🏆 WE HAVE A NEW ONE WORLD CHAMPION 🏆

🏆 WE HAVE A NEW ONE WORLD CHAMPION 🏆Ukrainian giant Roman Kryklia 🇺🇦 knocks out Tarik Khbabez in Round 2 to avenge a past loss and become the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion!📺: How to watch 👉 http://bit.ly/ONEAODHOTW🏨: Book your hotel 👉 bit.ly/ONEhotelplanner📱: Watch on the ONE Super App 👉 bit.ly/ONESuperApp🏷: Shop official merchandise 👉 bit.ly/ONECShop

Posted by ONE Championship on Saturday, November 16, 2019

ONE Championship: You knocked out Khbabez to win the gold in November. When you previously faced each other, you lost. What allowed you to win this time?

Roman Kryklia: It was a combination of rigorous training and confidence. I was getting ready both mentally and physically.

A fight is much more than showing great technique – you need that unshakable self-belief, and you must enter the ring knowing that you have the right to be there and that you are the best. I trained very hard, and I was getting sharper and faster. That’s what gave me that confidence.

ONE: This rematch was four years in the making. Considering that the ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title was also on the line, was it your biggest challenge yet?

RK: Yes, and getting ready for the fight was harder. It was more emotional because, first of all, I wanted to set the record straight between us, but secondly, I got given a title fight in my debut in ONE, so the pressure was on. But good weapons get forged in fire, so this extra pressure got me very motivated.

ONE: What was your original game plan for this bout, and were you able to follow it?

RK: The most important part of the plan was to not chase a knockout – my coach drilled it into my head. Tarik has a very aggressive style, so I was not going to rush. The plan was to watch him in round one, find my groove, and feel the rhythm of the fight.

I hoped I would KO him, so I just kept looking for a good moment. In the middle of the first round, I got him with a punch, and it motivated me to carry on. Then in round two, I went all-in with a kick and then connected with punches.

Roman Kryklia defeats Tarik Khbabez at ONE AGE OF DRAGONS

ONE: Having faced Khbabez in the past, do you feel you had any sort of advantage?

RK: No, it was four years ago, so he has changed since then. He has had many bouts in ONE since I squared off with him last and he fought high-caliber athletes, so I can say that he definitely got more skillful. His style also became even more aggressive.

But his style is rather primitive – he tried to steamroll through opponents, and that is not a very smart style. I had to counter him in a very aggressive manner, which I did and it brought me the win.

ONE: Overall, are you happy with your performance?

RK: I am never 100 percent happy with my performance — I always see mistakes and I want to improve. My coach and I had a debrief after the fight. In the future, I will try to move around the ring a lot more and be more precise with my punches.

ONE: Looking back at 2019, how would you sum up the year?

RK: This year was a great one for me. It started with an eight-man heavyweight tournament [in China]. I won it, and then I kept training all year [in order to] get ready for my ONE World Title bout. Now I am the champion, so 2019 was an incredible year for me.

Ukrainian kickboxer Roman Kryklia walks away following his knockout victory in November 2019
ONE: Finally, what are your plans and goals for 2020?

RK: In 2020, I would like to defend my belt several times. With ONE growing, I hope that my division will grow, too, and attract the best kickboxing talent from around the world. I want to give kickboxing fans some beautiful fights in 2020.

Read more: Roman Kryklia’s Journey From Ukraine To The Global Stage

More in Kickboxing

Anissa Meksen Jackie Buntan
Alexis Nicolas Regian Eersel ONE Fight Night 25 82
Amy Pirnie Shir Cohen ONE Fight Night 25 51
Johan Estupinan Zakaria El Jamari ONE Fight Night 25 48
Alexis Nicolas Regian Eersel ONE Fight Night 25 41
Lightweight kickboxers Alexis Nicolas and Regian Eersel
Regian Eersel Alexis Nicolas ONE Fight Night 21 4
Yod IQ Or Pimolsri Abdulla Dayakaev ONE Friday Fights 82 42
Muay Thai fighters Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri and Abdulla Dayakaev
Regian Eersel Alexis Nicolas ONE Fight Night 21 32
Regian Eersel Alexis Nicolas ONE Fight Night 21 4
Regian Eersel Alexis Nicolas ONE Fight Night 21 34