Perth heavyweight set to fight to become first-ever ONE world champion

Perth Muay Thai fighter Alex Roberts is scheduled to face off again Roman Kryklia in the main event of ONE Fight Fights 17 on December 8, ONE championship announced Saturday morning.

Roberts will be fighting for the first ever ONE Muay Thai heavyweight world championship in the main event of the event in Thailand, at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Roberts is the WBC heavyweight Muay Thai world champion, and the bout will be his debut for the ONE promotion, while Kryklia is a veteran of ONE and holds both the the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight world kickboxing championship titles.

Roberts captured the WBC heavyweight world title last month when he defeated long-time reigning champion Lydon Knowles via decision in Perth. Prior to holding the world title, Roberts held the state and national titles, fighting his was to being the ranked number one contender before capturing the gold.

Kryklia is regarded as one of the best kickboxers in the world, having defended his ONE lightweight kickboxing world title multiple times, along with capturing his heavyweight kickboxing world title after winning the ONE heavyweight Grand Prix at the end of 2022. The bout is a chance for Kryklia to jump sports from kickboxing to Muay Thai and become a multi-sport champion.

ONE Fight Night 17 will exclusively feature Muay Thai bouts and will be broadcast on Prime Video in the United Sates.

In Australia, the event will be available live and free on the 7 plus app, along with the rest of the ONE championship catalogue.