“We are the best gym in the world” – Roman Kryklia says his title victory was inspired by newly-opened training facility in Dubai

Reigning and undisputed ONE light heavyweight kickboxing and heavyweight Muay Thai world champion Roman Kryklia of the Ukraine once again proved his dominance in his most recent outing, and in the end became a rare two-sport world titleholder. But he wants all credit to go to his new team, Champ Belts.

Kryklia, along with longtime coach Andrei Gridin and close friend, reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Chingiz Allazov, spearheaded the establishment of Champ Belts, the newest A-list team of world champions based out of Dubai, UAE.

Kryklia captured the inaugural ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world title last weekend with a stoppage victory over WBC heavyweight Muay Thai world champion ‘The Viking’ Alex Roberts in the main event of ONE Fight Night 17.

The event took place at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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After the victory, Kryklia gave props to Gridin and Champ Belts for his success in his post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson.

Kryklia said:

“What is very important, I want to give this new belt to our new gym, which we opened in Dubai - Champ Belts. So I give this champion belt to Champ Belt by Gridin - this is my coach. We are the best gym in the world. Here is my best friend, my younger brother, Chingiz Allazov, who supported me. Congratulate not me, but us, our team - Champ Belts.”

What’s next for Roman Kryklia?

Now a two-sport ONE world champion, the possibilities for Roman Kryklia are boundless. However, the 32-year-old Ukrainian says he wants to showcase the beauty of heavyweight Muay Thai and kickboxing to the world and expressed his desire to be more active in 2024.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the news and updates surrounding Roman Kryklia’s next fight.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by C. Naik