Lyndon Knowles from Britain is set to challenge the formidable Ukrainian fighter, Roman Kryklia, for the ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai World Championship. This highly anticipated match will be broadcast live.
For Knowles, this marks his first foray into ONE Championship, a premier global platform for martial arts. However, he is far from inexperienced. Knowles holds the WBC heavyweight Muay Thai title and boasts a career of 98 fights, making him a seasoned veteran in the sport.
“This is the peak of Thai boxing for me, and it`s exactly where I want to be right now,” Knowles stated. “After two decades in this sport, it feels like the perfect culmination.”
Knowles is known for his distinctive personality, easily recognized by his long, curled mustache and eye-catching bowler hat.
Facing Kryklia, who has an unblemished ONE Championship record of six wins, with five knockouts, is a significant undertaking.
“He is a tough opponent,” Knowles acknowledged. “His strengths lie in his knockout power with both punches and devastating knees.”
However, Knowles is confident in his strategy. “I can get in close to prevent him from using his long hooks. I can maneuver around his knees, intercept them, and counter with my own powerful elbows or punches.”
“I understand the challenge ahead, and it’s not going to be easy.”
Knowles, trained by his brother Christian, is familiar with the ONE Championship environment, having supported his teammates, including Jonathan Haggerty, from ringside. “We are the gym that turns the impossible into reality,” he asserted.
Knowles has meticulously prepared for this fight. His recent training camp in Las Vegas with UFC fighter Khalil Rountree has been crucial in adapting to ONE`s smaller gloves and sharpening his striking techniques.
“This camp in Las Vegas with Khalil Rountree from the UFC has been invaluable, especially since he’s an expert in fighting with smaller gloves,” Knowles explained.
“It has significantly improved my defense, which needs to be different with smaller gloves, and also my offense. You can land shots from various angles that can penetrate guards more easily. Training in Vegas has been incredible.”
Despite Kryklia`s formidable power and reach, Knowles remains assured in his ability to disrupt the Ukrainian`s rhythm and seize the championship title.
“My fighting style is to apply pressure and move forward. I need to be smart this time because he has excellent long knees,” he said. “Ultimately, I want to entertain. That’s who I am.”
“I’m definitely eager to prove many people wrong,” he added. “This fight is unlikely to go the distance.”
For Knowles, this fight transcends a regular match; it`s a pivotal moment in his career on Muay Thai`s biggest stage, where he aims to make a significant impact on the heavyweight division and claim the championship definitively.
`I Pushed Myself Too Hard`
The exciting fight card, headlined by Kryklia versus Knowles, also includes bantamweight contender Nico Carrillo moving up to featherweight to face Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.
Carrillo, known as the `King of the North` from Scotland, is stepping into another challenging fight after a demanding loss to Nabil Anane for the Interim Muay Thai title.
However, Carrillo is revitalized by the change in weight class and is enthusiastic about fighting Sitthichai.
“He’s a legend, possibly one of the greatest kickboxers of our time,” Carrillo told.
Reflecting on the defeat to Anane, he shared, “It was a terrible experience, and it happened during the biggest opportunity of my career.”
“I believe I was defeated 24 hours before even entering the ring, specifically at the weigh-in. I pushed myself too hard.”
He added, “It’s difficult to leave the division when a championship belt is within reach… I was completely blinded by it. Now, I’ve reset and am ready to move forward.”
“Let’s enjoy the journey and see what happens, taking it one fight at a time.”
Leading up to this fight, Carrillo also spent time coaching mixed martial arts icon Georges St-Pierre.
“I actually guided him through a Muay Thai session,” Carrillo mentioned. “We focused on drills and I taught him some effective Muay Thai techniques.”
“Even for me, I’m constantly learning in Muay Thai. For an MMA fighter, it’s truly a different world.”
“Muay Thai is incredibly intricate, a unique striking sport unlike any other, in my opinion.”
Watch Kryklia vs Knowles live.
