Heavyweight striker Roman Kryklia was handed a mismatch on Friday night, as was made clear by his lightning-quick win in the main event of ONE Fight Night 30.
Kryklia disposed of Lyndon Knowles in just over two minutes, returning for the first time in over a year and defending his heavyweight Muay Thai title in the main event of a card from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand
From the start, it became clear that Kryklia was the faster and slicker fighter between the two. After a minute or so of action, the realization set in that the bout wouldn’t last long.
WBC Heavyweight Muay Thai Champion Knowles found himself in trouble after a left hook knocked him down clean, a shot which followed up a clean knee from Kryklia. After Knowles hit the canvas again—in an exchange the referee ruled a slip instead of another knockdown—a right cross knocked him out cold, putting an end to the fight at just two minutes and 10 seconds.
Kryklia, a Ukrainian 33-year-old, has yet to lose since he joined the ONE roster in 2019. After years of defending a kickboxing title at 225 pounds, Kryklia became the promotion’s first-ever heavyweight Muay Thai champ when he beat Alex Roberts in late 2023.
This weekend ended a 16-month absence from action for Kryklia. After his win on Friday, he made it clear that such a break from competition isn’t something he wants to do again.
“My plan is to get in the ring as fast as possible,” he said in his post-fight interview. “So I want to say to ONE Championship team, to Chatri [Sityodtong], in particular, that I’m ready. I’m ready to be here in one month. So, just invite me.”
Knowles entered this weekend with deep experience in Muay Thai, but had never previously appeared on a ONE card. He most notably serves as a head trainer at the Knowlesy Academy, a U.K. based gym which trains high-level Muay Thai fighter Jonathan Haggerty.
Eersel Takes Down Nicolas For Second Time, But Loses Belt
Regian Eersel wrapped up his trilogy against Alexis Nicolas in the co-main event, but he didn’t get the type of closure he likely wanted.
Eersel defeated Nicolas for a second time under kickboxing rules on Friday night but is no longer the ONE’s 170-pound division in the sport. Despite winning in a majority decision result after five rounds, a failed hydration test from Thursday caused Eersel to vacate his title, leaving any championship reward out of the picture for him this weekend.
Nicolas would have walked away with ONE gold if he had been successful on Friday, as he passed his weight and hydration tests without any issues. However, with Eersel the winning man, the 170-pound division is without a kickboxing champ for the first time since it was opened in 2019.
Like his past two clashes against Nicolas, Eersel had a competitive five-round battle to walk away with the win. Eersel proved to have the better boxing throughout the bout, consistently scoring with huge left hooks and also knocking back the head of Nicolas with crisp jabs.
Eersel’s success on scorecards was boosted by a second-round knockdown, where a left hook sent Nicolas crashing to the canvas.
Nicolas had a high output throughout the fight, returning fire against an aggressive Eersel. He was active with his kicks, chipping away at the Suriname fighter’s legs and body at times. In the end, it wasn’t enough for him to win in the rubber match.
Eersel’s 1,700-day run with the ONE 170-pound kickboxing title came to an end last year when he dropped a five-round decision to Nicolas. He avenged that defeat last October when they went another 15 minutes in the ring. A win this weekend likely closes out their rivalry after three fights.
Four MMA fights took place earlier in the night, including wins from prospects like Sanzhar Zakirov and Carlo Bumina-ang. Philippines-based Bumina-ang scored an impressive win in particular, stopping veteran Mauro Mastromarini in the first round with strikes.
Here are the quick results for Friday’s card:
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 7:00AM ICT) (Prime Video)
Bout 11: Roman Kryklia def. Lyndon Knowles via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:10) (ONE Muay Thai Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 10: Regian Eersel def. Alexis Nicolas Decision, Majority (ONE Kickboxing Lightweight Championship) (170 lbs)
Bout 9: Nico Carrillo def. Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:20) (Muay Thai)
Bout 8: Asa Ten Pow def. Saeksan Or Kwanmuang via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 0:37) (Muay Thai)
Bout 7: Sanzhar Zakirov def. Bokang Masunyane via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: George Jarvis def. Mouhcine Chafi via Decision, Unanimous (Muay Thai)
Bout 5: Paul Elliott def. Ryugo Takeuchi via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:00)
Bout 4: Fabricio Andrey def. Ashley Williams via Decision, Unanimous (Grappling)
Bout 3: Elmehdi El Jamari def. Thongpoon P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:56) (Muay Thai)
Bout 2: Macarena Aragon def. Jihin Radzuan via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Carlo Bumina-ang def. Mauro Mastromarini via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:45)
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