It’s the holiday season. At this time of year, the tradition of gift-giving runs rampant throughout the world, including the world of combat sports.
ONE Championship has a great present awaiting its fans and the best part is that you don’t need to wait around until Dec. 25 to unwrap it. You can enjoy this gift on Friday night (United States time.)
For the first time in its 12-year-history, ONE is putting on a card with nothing but Muay-Thai all night long. ONE on Prime Video 17 begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on Amazon Prime Video to viewers inside North America only. Elsewhere throughout the world, the card is available as a pay-per-view on ONE’s Website under the alternate title ONE Fight Night 17.
All told, barring any further postponements between now and the weekend, the final version of this event features eight fights showcasing the sport called “The Art of Eight Limbs.” At the top of the show is a first of its kind bout at 265 lbs.
Inaugural ONE Heavyweight Muay-Thai Championship at Stake in ONE on Prime Video 17 Main Event
The main event of the evening will see the battle for the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Muay-Thai Championship. Incumbent ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion and 2022 ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing Grand Prix Tournament Champion Roman Kryklia (49-7, 1 NC, 28 KOs kickboxing, 5-0, 4 KOs ONE Championship) seeks to become a two-sport titlist when he meets WBC Heavyweight Muay-Thai Champion Alex Roberts (14-3 Muay-Thai, ONE Championship promotional debut.)
As with all Muay-Thai championship bouts, the ONE on Prime Video 17 main event will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at three minutes per round to close out the action from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
When Roman Kryklia pulled off the comeback of a lifetime to become the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Champion 😤🏆#WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/dnPHSJDcWY
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 13, 2023
ONE on Prime Video 17 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the ONE on Prime Video 17 main event this Friday night, Roman Kryklia stands as the taller man at 6-foot-7, compared to the 6-foot-4 frame of Alex Roberts. No reach advantage information was available at press time.
Kryklia in Search of Rarefied Air with Victory in ONE on Prime Video 17 Main Event
Roman Kryklia enters the headliner on Friday having posted a 5-0 record in his last five bouts with all of those wins being recorded under the ONE signature. Four of those five wins have come inside the distance.
He has not fought in a little over a full year, though. On Nov. 19, 2022, he scored a second-round knockout (knee strike followed by punches) of Iraj Azizpour (19-6, 5 KOs kickboxing, 3-1 ONE Championship) to capture the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing Grand Prix title during ONE 163.
Kryklia was slated to return to the ring on July 14 in a fight against Francesco Xhaja, but the fight was scrubbed prior to the event due to an injury. Now, 55 weeks later, he wants a strap in a second discipline.
“I know this victory will be very special to me because it will be my first title in Muay Thai,” Kryklia mentioned in an interview with ONE. “And it’s very important for me to be the champion because I started in Muay Thai, and this was my dream at the beginning of my career.”
Roberts Pumped for Title Shot in ONE Promotional Debut
In the other corner, Alex Roberts makes his ONE Championship debut on Friday night having gone 14-3 thus far in his career. Back in October, he took the WBC World Heavyweight Muay-Thai Championship with a victory over Lyndon Knowles by unanimous decision.
Recently, he talked about the road he took to get to ONE.
“It has always been my goal to get to ONE Championship,” Roberts began. “Quite a few years back, I put down on the whiteboard the steps to get here. The WBC belts were basically the stepping stones: the WBC State Title, the National, International, and then the world title. And then after that was ONE Championship.”
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Fight fans will have a scrap to watch on Friday night. Both of these men can bring the fireworks when needed.
Look for Kryklia to Get the Job Done Quickly
Roman Kryklia has been known to write quick endings to his stories when he’s been in the ring. One need look no further than his Kickboxing Grand Prix semifinal win vs. Guto Inocente.
Right after the command to fight was given, Kryklia teed off with his hands while Inocente returned fire with leg kicks. About 30 seconds into the first round, Kryklia knocked Inocente down with a punch to the head.
Even though Inocente survived the eight-count and got back up, he wouldn’t stay in the fight for very long. Roman Kryklia connected with a kick to the head that dazed Guto Inocente enough that the referee wouldn’t allow him to continue in the match.
Watch for Kryklia to get out to a quick start and try to disturb Alex Roberts’ gameplan in the ONE on Prime Video 17 main event.
Watch Roberts Use His Full Arsenal
In the other corner, Alex Roberts will have to use all of his weapons to beat Roman Kryklia. Back in April, he took Umut Eryilmaz to the fourth round, where he unloaded on him with a barrage of solid strikes to knock Eryilmaz down against the ropes.
Upon a restart, Eryilmaz attempted to bide his time, but Roberts proved to be too tough, eventually scoring the knockout with 37 seconds left on the clock. Like we said at the top, Muay-Thai is the art of eight limbs. Roberts needs to use all of them here.
Final Thoughts
This is quite the bout for an inaugural heavyweight championship. If fight fans miss this one on Friday, they won’t have anything to talk about on Saturday.
Prediction: Alex Roberts by Unanimous Decision.
