Roman Kryklia

Kickboxing Muay Thai Karate Light heavyweight and heavyweight, kickboxing and Muay Thai

At two metres tall and with a reach to be envious of, Roman Kryklia moves like a dancing giant. The Ukrainian has ruled over no fewer than three ONE world titles in two sports for years and is rightly called “Kickboxing’s Usyk.”

Profile

The story

Roman Kryklia was born in Krasnohrad, in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast. At the age of six, he began training in karate under Valentin Kozhueshko. From 2008, he trained at Maximus in Kharkiv, where Maksim Kiyko and Viktor Demtsenko further developed him. That same year, he earned the title of Master of Sports in kickboxing.

In 2019, Kryklia signed with ONE Championship and won the inaugural Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Championship. In 2022, he won the Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix tournament. In December 2023, he also won the inaugural Heavyweight Muay Thai World Championship.

After losing to Samet Agdeve in November 2025, Kryklia won the rematch at ONE The Inner Circle 19 in June 2026 by unanimous decision. This restored his status as a reigning three-division world champion.

In the ring

Fighting style

Kryklia combines his exceptional height and reach—approximately two meters tall with a 212-centimeter reach—with a surprisingly technical, karate-inspired movement base. He keeps opponents at a distance with long front kicks and lateral movement, patiently picks his moments, and then explodes with devastating straight punches and calf kicks. More than half of his victories end in a knockout.

Results

Performance

ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion since November 2019 and inaugural champion; ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai World Champion since December 2023 and inaugural champion; ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion, recaptured in June 2026; winner of the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix tournament in 2022; Kickboxing Fighter of the Year, Knockout of the Year, and Fight of the Year in 2022; multiple Performance of the Night bonuses; former world champion in Kunlun Fight, K-1, WAKO Pro, FEA, and the Monte Carlo Fighting Masters.

Over the years

Timeline

1991: Born on October 11 in Krasnohrad, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine.

1997: Began karate training at the age of six.

2008: Earned the title of Master of Sports in kickboxing.

2012: Made his professional combat sports debut.

2016: Tested positive for doping, announced in 2018, leading to a suspension until May 2022.

2019: Joined ONE Championship and won the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Championship against Tarik Khbabez.

2022: Won the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix tournament and was named Kickboxing Fighter of the Year.

2023: Won the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai World Championship.

2025: Lost his undefeated status and the Heavyweight Kickboxing title to Samet Agdeve in November.

2026: Regained the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Championship from Agdeve in June, confirming his status as a three-time champion.

Influence

Legacy

Kryklia proves that exceptional height and a foundation in traditional martial arts—karate and boxing—can be combined to create one of the most versatile heavyweights the modern kickboxing and Muay Thai world has ever seen. As one of the few fighters to simultaneously hold world titles in two sports and two weight classes, he is revitalizing ONE Championship’s heavyweight division and, alongside fellow countryman Anatoly Malykhin, serves as a flagship representative of the Ukrainian martial arts school on the world stage.